Metro Weekly - 10-20-16 - Scott Wallis and The Fall Fashion

CONTENTS
OCTOBER 20, 2016
21
Volume 23 Issue 24
REPEALING RIGHTS
Massachusetts conservatives want to repeal transgender

protections. We meet those fighting to ensure it doesnt happen.
by John Riley
TOUCH OF EVIL
28
Marg Helgenberger on playing one of theaters legendary

villains, shedding TV typecasting, and why
Donald Trump needs to be stopped
Interview by Randy Shulman
Photography by Todd Franson
32
JACKED UP
Scott Wallis wanted to open a mens underwear store.

Then he added shirts, belts, casual wear, colognes, ties.
Welcome to Avenue Jack.
Interview by Doug Rule
Photography by Todd Franson and Julian Vankim
SPOTLIGHT: MUSICAL JEWS p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.11 MASON BATES: STARK RAVING p.13
RUMER WILLIS: RUMER HAS IT p.15 THE FEED: REPEALING RIGHTS p.21
COMMUNITY: HEEL RAISERS p.23 SCENE: REEL AFFIRMATIONS p.26 MARG HELGENBERGER:
TOUCH OF EVIL p.28 COVER STORY: JACKED UP p.32 FASHION: JACKED FOR FALL p.38
GALLERY: TOM HILL p.45 STAGE: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING p.46 STAGE: KISS p.47
GAMES: PLAYSTATION VR p.49 NIGHTLIFE p.51 LISTINGS p.53 SCENE: COBALT p.57
SCENE: GREEN LANTERN p.60 LAST WORD p.62
The bitches who make this shit... #masthead
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule
Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Gordon Ashenhurst,
Sean Bugg, Frank Carber, Fallon Forbush, Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Universal Gear Cover Photography Todd Franson
Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY
18TH WASHINGTON JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Spotlight
Moa, with Mira Awad
Musical Jews
The Washington Jewish Music Festival strives to broaden the concept in a global,
all-encompassing context
HE HORA IS KLEZMER. AND FOR A LOT OF

people, thats the extent of their knowledge, which
is fine those are very influential forms. Ilya
Tovbis is talking about Jewish music in global society and who should know better than the director of
the Washington Jewish Music Festival, which opens
Wednesday, Oct. 26. I think a lot of what were looking to
do with the festival is expand beyond that notion. Jewish
music is global.
You dont get more expansive than the festivals kickoff
concert AvevA Music, a group that filters Tel Avivs
urban beat through traditional Ethiopian sounds, R&B,
funk and pop. Theyre Israeli, says Tovbis, but their
sound is as much Israeli as it is traditional Ethiopian
where theres a large Jewish community.
Other highlights include Israeli artist Noa, joined by
Mira Awad, her partner in the 2009 Eurovision Song
Contest (they came in 16th, amid controversy that Noa,
who is Jewish and Awad, of Arab heritage, created a
sense of false national coexistence); Seth Kibel and
Tom Teasley, performing klezmer; a screening of Paul
Thomas Andersons 2015 India-set documentary Junjun,

followed by a rousing performance by Sandaraa, featuring
Pakistani vocalist Zeb Bangash and klezmer clarinet virtuoso Michael Winograd; and trumpeter David Buchbinder
and Cuban pianist Hilario Duran, who close the festival
on November 5.
Tovbis, who also oversees the DCJCCs annual Jewish
Film Festival, takes special pride in curating the music festival, now in its 18th year. The constant theme for me, he
says, is using the arts to expand the notion of what Judaism
is. Judaism as we experience it in America...is increasingly
about secular, cultural life. Its a little bit less about religious
life. Not to attack it at all, but I think the way a lot of people
experience Jewish isnt the way that their grandparents
experienced Jewish which was mostly synagogue, going
not just around the holidays, but weekly.
If were able to get people into a concert, and theyre
tapping their feet along but at the same time are learning
about Jewish culture in Pakistan and Jewish culture in
Cuba, theres something really exciting about that.

Randy Shulman
The Washington Jewish Music Festival runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 5. Venues include The Howard Theatre,
Lisner Auditorium, Bossa Lounge & Bistro and The Edlavitch DCJCC on 16th Street. Single tickets and
festival passes are available. Visit wjmf.org or call 202-777-3241.
Spotlight
BIANCA DEL RIO
COURTESY IMP
After winning RuPauls Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio

was all over D.C. in 2014, from headlining Capital
Pride to monthly runs of a show offering her special
brand of insult comedy at Town Danceboutique. Now
the bitch, as they say, is back, with a new comedy
special named after her signature phrase, Not Today,
Satan. Saturday, Oct. 22. Doors at 7 p.m. Lincoln
Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $37.50 to $199.
Call 202-328-6000 or visit thelincolndc.com.
RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
KX PHOTOGRAPHY
Creative Cauldron, Virginias emerging theater company,

offers the area premiere of this Off-Broadway campy cult
hit. A spoof of everything from Gypsy to Mame to All About
Eve, writer Joel Paley and composer Marvin Lairds comedy
follows a beautiful, talented and overly ambitious 8-yearold girl in her quest to play the lead in the school play. Matt
Conner directs. To Oct. 30. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410
South Maple Ave. Falls Church. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call
703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.
LAURA BENANTI
JENNY ANDERSON
In 2014 Tony-winning star Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Into

The Woods) recalled to Metro Weekly having a slight
existential crisis as a kid. What is this world that I live
in? What is this horrible place where people know who
Paula Abadul is, and they dont know who Rosemary
Clooney is? It made me feel really lonely and really
sad, Benanti said. On the flipside, it also made her
feel like a 45-year-old gay man in a little girls body.
A multiple performer with the Gay Mens Chorus of
Washington, Benanti returns to Wolf Trap for another
night of cabaret-style song, dance and humor. Saturday,
Oct. 29, at 3 and 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap,
1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40 to $45. Call
877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
Spotlight
AMANDA SHIRES
JOSH WOOL
After mastering her craft playing fiddle with the

Texas Playboys, Amanda Shires has gone on to
tour and record with artists including John Prine,
Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Adams, and her husband Jason Isbell. The singer-songwriter offers a
solo show in support of the charming solo album
My Piece of Land, most of it recorded while Shires
was seven months pregnant, unable to tour, and
in a reflective mood. Friday, Oct. 21, at 8:30 p.m.
Gypsy Sallys, 3401 K St. NW. Tickets are $16 in
advance, or $18 day-of. Call 202-333-7700 or visit
gypsysallys.com.
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
ERIK TOMASSON
In a co-production with the Dutch National

Ballet, Americas oldest ballet company performs Tony- and Olivier-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldons visually
imaginative production of Cinderella, complete with puppets and an animated tree by
the incomparable Basil Twist. Inspired by
Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy
tales, Wheeldons ballet is a fairy tale for
modern times, focused on an empowered
heroine more in charge of her destiny
without a meddling fairy godmother, pumpkin carriage or clock striking midnight. Set
to a lesser-known score by Prokofiev as
performed by the Kennedy Center Opera
House Orchestra, the production features
a libretto by Craig Lucas, sets and costumes
by Julian Crouch, lighting by Natasha Katz,
and projection design by Daniel Brodie. Remaining performances Thursday, Oct.

27, through Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30,
at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $29 to $139. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
INK-ATRIA BOOKS
TARAJI P. HENSON
At the heart of Foxs popular drama Empire is the force-of-nature Cookie

Lyons, vividly realized by D.C.s own Henson. In a new memoir, she discusses her journey to Hollywood, including her upbringing by a troubled
Vietnam vet father and street-hardened mother as well as her struggles as
a single mother and as a black actress in Hollywood despite holding a
Howard University degree. The Smithsonian Associates presents a hometown discussion with the actress led by NPRs TV critic Eric Deggans at
the National Museum of Natural History. Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m. Baird
Auditorium, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are $40 to $50,
which includes a pre-signed copy of Around The Way Girl. Call 202-6333030 or visit smithsonianassociates.org.
Out On The Town
HITCHCOCKTOBER
A month-long celebration of Alfred Hitchcock concludes with two classics from the Master of Suspense. The Trouble
With Harry (1955) is a rarely screened black comedy about a small Vermont village reacting to the discovery of a dead man
on a nearby hillside, and is notable for the screen debut of Shirley MacLaine. Its a passable film but not one of Hitchcocks
best moments. Psycho (1960), however, is another story. If youve never seen it and even if you have it remains one of
the greatest horror films in the history of cinema, single-handedly reinventing the genre. Anthony Perkins gives the performance of his career as Norman Bates, the meek, neurotic owner of an eerily isolated motel where he lives with his domineering mother. His life is forever changed when Marion Crane (the lovely Janet Leigh) stays for a night. The low-budget, black-and-white film is celebrated for a shower to end all showers a master class in editing and for Bernard
Herrmanns magnificent, instantly recognizable all-strings score. With Vera Miles, (a dreadful) John Gavin, Martin Balsam
and, in a blink-and-youll-miss it cameo, Ted Knight, who a decade later would star as the dumbest anchorman alive on the
Mary Tyler Moore Show. Harry screens Thursday, Oct. 27, and Psycho, Monday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. at the Angelika Pop-Up at
Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE, and at the Angelika Film Center, 2911 District Ave., in Fairfax. Tickets are $7 to $10 each.
Call 800-680-9095 or visit angelikafilmcenter.com. (Randy Shulman)
Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN
If you like Tyler Perry and his

Madea character, youll probably
like this horror comedy, which sees
Madea and her friends trying to
evade killers, zombies and ghosts
while stopping her great-niece from
attending a party. Opens Friday,
Oct. 21. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)
CERTAIN WOMEN
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt

adapts three short stories by Maile
Meloy focused on strong-willed
women striving to forge their own
paths amidst the open plains of
the American Northwest. Kristen

Stewart, Laura Dern and Michelle
Williams star in a slow-burning,
melancholic drama (The Guardian)
that is a trifle academic and dry
(The Hollywood Reporter). Opens
Friday, Oct. 21. Landmarks E
Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Also Landmarks Bethesda Row
Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave. Call
202-452-7672, 301-652-727 or visit
landmarktheatres.com.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher

star as Jeff and Karen Gaffney, a
suburban couple outshone by their
gorgeous, ultra-sophisticated neighbors, Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot.
When its revealed that theyre government spies, the Gaffneys become
embroiled in international espio-
nage. Its Mr. & Mrs. Smith from

the neighbors perspective. Opens
Friday, Oct. 21. Area theaters. Visit
fandango.com.
MIDDLEBURG FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its fourth year in a picturesque town in Virginias horse and

wine country, the Middleburg Film
Festival, founded by BET co-founder Sheila C. Johnson, offers a mix of
independent features and documentaries and many Oscar contenders,
including six submissions for Best
Foreign Language Film. Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and
Rooney Mara, is the opening night
film. The musical La La Land, with
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is
Saturdays highlight. Sunday brings
Loving, Jeff Nichols documentary
about the interracial couple who
brought down anti-miscegenation

laws via their landmark Supreme
Court case Loving v. Virginia. Other
notable screenings include Pedro
Almodovars Julieta, which marks
a return to his cinema of women,
Kelly Fremon Craigs The Edge of
Seventeen, starring Hailee Steinfeld
and Woody Harrelson, Ewan
McGregors adaptation of the Philip
Roth novel American Pastoral, and
Jim Jarmuschs Paterson. The festival runs Thursday, Oct. 20, through
Sunday, Oct. 23. Salamander
Resort & Spa and other venues
in Middleburg, Va. Passes range
from $100 for students to $2,500
for all-access passes, including film
screenings and receptions plus dinner and food events at a local winery. Visit middleburgfilm.org.
11
NOIR CITY DC: THE PICTURE OF

DORIAN GRAY
The American Film Institute offers

an October series to give you a case
of the creeps. Films in Noir City
DC include Deception starring Bette
Davis, a double feature of the chilling 1931 classic M with a 2016 documentary about its German-Austrian
filmmaker Fritz Lang, and the
Hitchcock classic Rear Window. But
they dont get much more unsettling than Albert Lewins sinister,
70-year-old take on Oscar Wildes
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Angela
Lansbury earned a supporting
actress Oscar nomination for one of
her first film roles as a love interest
of Hurd Hatfield, who sells his soul
and pursues a hedonistic, ageless
lifestyle. Saturday, Oct. 22, at noon,
and Monday, Oct. 24, at 4:45 p.m.
AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville
Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13
general admission, or $10 for matinee screenings. Call 301-495-6720
or visit afi.com/Silver.
THE ROCKY HORROR

PICTURE SHOW
Landmarks E Street Cinema celebrates Halloweekend by offering

Richard OBriens camp classic,
billed as the longest-running midnight movie in history. Landmarks
showings come with a live shadow
cast from the Sonic Transducers,
meaning its even more interactive than usual. Friday, Oct. 28,
and Saturday, Oct. 29, at midnight,
and Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Landmarks E Street Cinema, 555
11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or
visit landmarktheatres.com.
WITHIN OUR GATES
To commemorate the recent release

of the five-disc Blu-ray/DVD set
Pioneers of African-American
Cinema, the Library of Congress
presents a free screening of the earliest surviving feature film directed
by an African American. Presented
in a new digital restoration, the
1920 Within Our Gates is considered by critics as Oscar Michaeuxs
response to D.W. Griffiths deplorable Birth of a Nation, which chronicled the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
Michaeuxs film follows a teacher
determined to start a school for
poor black children. Paul D. Miller,
better known as DJ Spooky, will
introduce the film, the restored version of which includes his original
compositions. Friday, Oct. 21, at
7:30 p.m. Packard Campus Theater,
19053 Mount Pony Rd. Culpeper,
Va. Free, first-come, first served.
Call 202-707-9994 or visit loc.gov/
avconservation.
STAGE
ANGELS IN AMERICA:
MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
HHHHH
Tony Kushners masterpiece
remains as timely as ever, but it
12
is the overall quality of the staging at Round House, in partnership

with Olney Theatre, that makes
this Angels essential for any serious
lover of theater. Jason Loewiths
direction of the first part is a wonder to behold. The chief thrill of
Millennium is its exquisite exposition, with Kushner presenting ideas
on weighty topics such as history,
race, ethnicity and politics in a lively, energized manner. Eight actors
work in tandem here, taking on multiple roles and displaying impressive sensitivity and dexterity in
quick character and costume changes. Set designer James Kronzer has
opened up Round Houses massive
stage to accommodate moments in
which two scenes overlap and the
actors become intertwined in testy
exchanges. Lighting designer York
Kennedy, sound designer Joshua
Horvath and projectionist Clint
Allen do astonishing work throughout, though their crowning achievement comes during the arrival of
the Angel (Dawn Ursula). The show
takes flight fantastically, magnificently, sending a raw, emotional
three-hour shock wave through
your system. Closes Sunday, Oct. 23.
Round House Theatre, 4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. Tickets
are $55 to $75. Call 240-644-1100 or
visit roundhousetheatre.org. (Doug
Rule)
ANGELS IN AMERICA:
PERESTROIKA
HHHHH
Under Ryan Rilettes authoritative direction, the second of the
two Angels plays is an awe-inspiring, insightful theatrical marvel,
building on and surpassing the
dramaturgical success of Jason
Loewiths momentous Millennium
Approaches. Taken together, the
two master-class productions
offer the kind of once-in-a-lifetime
rewards that bucket lists are made
for. Perestroika is the more daunting
of the two, but also the more enriching, as we see Prior Walter wrestle
his Angel and stand up for the hopes
and desires of his fellow humans.
Tony Kushners flights of fancy
become thresholds of revelation in
his prescient analysis of progressive
politics, race relations, American
patriotism and pride. Tom Story
leads the show as a perfectly realized gay everyman. Story has never
been more in command of a character as he is with Prior. Also notable
is the work of Kimberly Gilbert,
who has been reason enough to see
a show over the past decade, yet
here shes more captivating than
ever. Her Harper learns from her
crises of faith and unrequited love
in ways that the rest of us could only
hope to approximate. To Oct. 30.
Round House Theatre, 4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. Tickets
are $55 to $75. Call 240-644-1100 or
visit roundhousetheatre.org. (DR)
DANTES INFERNO
SENSE & SENSIBILITY
HHHHH
HHHHH
The perfect antidote to the deluge of

commercialized Halloween pap. A
decidedly PG-13 offering, Synetics
fabulously dark vision of Dantes
search for his lost love Beatrice
through the many rings of Hell is
not for the overly squeamish. It is
also Synetic at its best - embracing fully the edgy, the weird, and
the wonderful, all with a sensibility
that is unmistakably European. Like
Synetics Silent Shakespeare series,
Dantes story is told without a word
spoken, the narrative delivered
through dance, mime and extraordinary atmospherics. Carrying the
title role is Vato Tsikurishvil. With
soulful, hungry eyes, he expresses
the determination and torment of
a man venturing into the depths
of Hell and its punishment of the
worst of mankind. A powerful
mover, Tsikurishvili is physically
expressive without overdoing his
gasp-worthy acrobatic feats. Yet
the real stars here are the imaginations of the creator and the director, Paata Tsikurishvili and Irina
Tsikurishvili. This is their Hell and
the devil is absolutely and most
excellently in the details. To Oct.
30. Theater at Crystal City, 1800
South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets
are $35 to $55. Call 800-494-8497
or visit synetictheater.org. (Kate
Wingfield)
There is something deliciously

subversive in the Folger Theatre.
Tucked behind the impenetrable
faade of its namesake library, it
keeps delivering all manner of gloriously innovative theater magic. The
latest piece of brilliance is director
Eric Tuckers joyfully raucous Sense
and Sensibility, adapted with verve
by Kate Hamill from Jane Austens
classic novel. It is fast, funny, witty
and ridiculous, but it is also incredibly adept at breathing hot and
feverish life into an early 19th century tale of landed (and unlanded)
gentry and their loves and losses.
Originally developed and premiered
by New Yorks Bedlam theater company, the production stays true to
the novel while playing with all of
its parts, real and emotional. Sets
run around on casters, chairs move
with their occupants, emotional
revelations become surreal lightshows and the fourth wall is more of
a trampled hedge. It is high entertainment, with Austens wit, wisdom and observations of the human
heart at its core. Like last seasons A
Midsummers Night Dream, given a
chance this play will win hearts and
minds. Its the kind of intelligent
silliness that creates theatergoers
for life among the uninitiated and
brings back the faith for everybody
else. It just doesnt get much better.
To Oct. 30. Folger Theatre, 201 East
Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $30 to
$75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. (KW)
FREAKY FRIDAY
Disney partners with Signature

Theatre for a world premiere musical version of the body-swap classic, immortalized in two hit Disney
films. Heidi Blickenstaff (Signatures
First You Dream) and Emma Hunton
(Broadways Spring Awakening) star
as mother Katherine and daughter Ellie in a production helmed
by Christopher Ashley, reteaming
with his Memphis choreographer
Sergio Trujillo. The musicals pop/
rock score comes from the Pulitzer
Prize-winning pair behind Next to
Normal, composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey. The cast includes
Jason Gotay, Alan H. Green, Shayna
Blass, Sherri L. Edelen and Bobby
Smith. To Nov. 20. MAX Theatre,
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call
703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.
MOTHERSTRUCK
Staceyann Chins personal journey

to motherhood as a single woman,
lesbian and activist who does not
have health insurance or a serious, stable financial set-up kicks
off the season in Studio Theatres
experimental and innovative-focused Studio X. Matt Torney directs
this one-woman show starring the
powerhouse performer, who was a
co-writer and original performer in
the Tony-winning Russell Simmons
Def Poetry Jam. Closes Sunday, Oct.
23. Studios Milton Theatre, 14th &
P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or
visit studiotheatre.org.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE

DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME
Based on Mark Haddons best-selling

novel, Simon Stephens 2015 Tony
Award-winner for Best Play tells the
heartwarming story of an unforgettable young man whose investigation
of a mystery leads to a life-changing
adventure. As directed by Marianne
Elliott, the New York Times calls it
one of the most fully immersive
works ever to wallop Broadway.
Closes Sunday, Oct. 23. Kennedy
Center Opera House. Tickets are $39
to $149. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
Olney offers an intimate staging of

the well-known story by Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett of a
Jewish girl hiding with her family
in Amsterdam during World War II.
Carolyn Faye Kramer stars as Anne
in Wendy Kesselmans stage adaptation, directed by Derek Goldman.
The cast includes many of D.C.s
most notable actors, among them
Paul Morella, Michael Russotto,
Eric Hissom, Susan Rome and
Kimberly Schraf. Closes Saturday,
Oct. 22. Olney Theatre Center, 2001
Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney,
Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit
olneytheatre.org.
VOLCANOES: TALES OF EL
SALVADOR
Gustavo Ott directs Cornelia Codys

kid-friendly, fun-filled, bilingual
musical spectacle sharing wellknown folktales around a story
about two siblings dealing with
separation and loss. A world premiere through GALita featuring
Chema Pineda-Fernandez, Roberto
Colmenares and Karen Morales,
among others. Closes Saturday, Oct.
22. GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square,
3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $10
to $12. Call 202-234-7174 or visit
galatheatre.org.
MUSIC
A decade after being named
Gramophones Artist of the
Year, Angela Hewitt performs
Beethovens joyful Piano Concerto
No. 1 in a program led by Hannu
Lintu and Dvoraks pastoral work
Symphony No. 8. Friday, Oct. 21,
at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3
p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony
Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore.
Also Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $33 to $99. Call 410-7838000 or visit bsomusic.org.
BELA FLECK & ABIGAIL

WASHBURN
Washington Performing Arts presents the legendary banjo virtuoso,

who has been nominated in more
categories than anyone in Grammy
history, and his wife who is also
a well-regarded banjo player and
vocalist. They tour in support of
their self-titled 2016 Grammywinning album. Saturday, Oct. 22, at
8 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue,
600 I St. NW. Tickets are $50. Call
202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org.
BLACK MASALA
D.C.s own eight-piece Balkan and

funk band consists of members
from Thievery Corporation and
is focused on having fun both on
record including 2015s I Love
You Madly and live. Saturday,
Oct. 29, at 9:30 p.m. DC9, 1940 9th
St. NW. Tickets are $12. Call 202483-5000 or dcnine.com.
GLADYS KNIGHT
All aboard the Midnight Train to

the Warner Theatre and another
area concert by the Empress of
Soul. Knight will perform from her
Grammy-winning repertoire and
maybe even offer some of the moves
she learned on Dancing With The
Stars. Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.
Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW.
Tickets are $82. Call 202-783-4000
or visit warnertheatredc.com.
HILARY HAHN, ROBERT LEVIN
As part of its 50th Anniversary

Season Star Series, Washington
COURTESY MASON BATES
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
STARK RAVING
Mason Bates kicks off the KC Jukebox season with

a classical rave at the Kennedy Center
HENS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD CLASSICAL MUSIC IN A CLUB-LIKE

environment? Or experienced the Kennedy Center as a nightclub? Were kind of
creating a club venue within the Kennedy Center, says composer Mason Bates.
The top floor is very different from the grand foyer and the Concert Hall with the red carpet
and stuff. The Atrium is much more of a warehouse-type space. There are lots of different
rooms and couches and bars all over the place.
Next Monday, Oct. 24, Bates, composer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center, kicks off the
second season of his innovative, informal KC Jukebox series with Mercury Soul, a popular
San Francisco-based series that merges electronica with classical. Mercury Soul is a club
show thats invaded by a SWAT team of classical musicians, says Bates, aka DJ Masonic.
We have DJ sets and then we have classical sets that sort of appear seamlessly out of the DJ
sets. Weve got everything from Bach to Stravinsky to techno to hip-hop, all kind of fluidly
integrated into one show.
Violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain will open the concert and will also perform with
Mason over the course of the evening. The performances will be enhanced by immersive
lighting and projections, and all throughout the high-energy classical rave patrons can
mingle and drink.
For about fifteen years Ive been DJing in San Francisco and Chicago and integrating
electronica into my symphonic music, Mason says. About half of my compositions, or a
good percentage of them, have electronic sounds oftentimes techno beats, sometimes
more ambient stuff. Bates has long taken inspiration from George Gershwin, who skillfully
integrated jazz and classical a century ago, and more recently from Pink Floyds symphonic
experiments. But his particular amalgam remains unprecedented. To be honest, Ive had to
forge my own path, because there really isnt much precedence for electronic music within
the orchestra thats widely played. Doug Rule
Mercury Soul is Monday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m., in the Kennedy Center Atrium.
Tickets are $20. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
Performing Arts presents threetime Grammy-winning violinist
Hilary Hahn performing a recital
of wide-ranging music accompanied by pianist Robert Levin. The
program includes three new commissioned partitas by Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril. Friday,
Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center
Concert Hall. Tickets are $38 to
$95. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
JERUSALEM QUARTET
A record three-time winner of BBC
13
Music Magazines Chamber Music

Award, the string quartet comes
to the Clarice to display what has
been called a rare blend of passion and precision. The program
includes works by Haydn, Prokofiev
and Beethoven. Sunday, Oct. 31, at 3
p.m. Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the
University of Maryland, University
Boulevard and Stadium Drive.
College Park. Tickets are $25. Call
301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.
umd.edu.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
Violin sensation Nicola Benedetti

offers the East Coast premiere of
Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto,
in a program led by NSO Music
Director Christoph Eschenbach also
featuring Tchaikovskys Polish
Symphony. Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7
p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are $15 to $89. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
NEW ORCHESTRA OF
WASHINGTON
Now in its fifth season, the ensemble,

led by Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez,
offers a Smaller Is Better program
featuring three orchestral works that
have been reduced in instrumentation for the concert. Hand-picked
professional musicians will tease out
the intimate qualities of Mozarts
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro,
Griegs Piano Concerto in A Minor
featuring Japanese wunderkind
Mayumi Sakamoto, and Brahms
Symphony No. 2. Saturday, Oct. 29, at
7 p.m. Live! at 10th and G, 945 G ST.
NW. Also Sunday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m.
JCC of Greater Washington, 6125
Montrose Rd., Rockville. Tickets are
$40 each. Call 240-235-5088 or visit
neworchestraofwashington.org.
STRATHMORE CABARET:
BLUES BASH
The style and melodies of pioneers

Muddy Waters, B.B. King and
Bessie Smith are just some of the
blues thatll be on offer at a benefit
concert for Strathmores mentoring
work with local musicians, which
is first and foremost a showcase of
its signature Artists in Residence
program. Billed as the next generation of powerhouse performers,
this years roster includes percussionist Joey Antico, accordionist
and pianist Simone Baron, bassist
Ethan Foote, fiddle player Patrick
McAvinue, and vocalists Ines
Nassara and Chris Urquiaga. Theyll
perform at this cabaret along with
electric guitarist Foley and vocalist Rochelle Rice, both AIR alumni,
and guest artists harmonica player
Black Magic and pianist Sean Lane.
Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Amp
by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park
Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are
$150 including dinner and drinks,
or $500 for two reserved VIP seats.
Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
14
ST. LUCIA
South African singer-songwriter

Jean-Philip Grobler grew up singing in the Drakensberg Boys Choir,
but St. Lucia, his five-piece project
that includes his wife Patti Beranek,
is far more influenced by pop music
than choral. Album Matter is reincarnated 80s synth-pop through
and through: a little Depeche Mode,
a smidgen of Dire Straits, and a
whole lot of New Order, especially
with Groblers vocals often recalling
Bernard Sumners. Thursday, Oct.
27, and Friday, Oct. 28. Doors at 6
p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW.
Tickets are $27.50. Call 202-2650930 or visit 930.com.
THE CLAUDETTES
Brother Ray meets the Ramones...

Chopin meets Minutemen is
how Tony Sarabia of WBEZ radio
described the Windy City piano
blues/punk act. Their D.C. engagement offers a thrilling new chapter in American roots music.
Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 9 p.m. Bossa
Bistro, 2463 18th St. NW. Tickets
are $5. Call 202-667-0088 or visit
bossadc.com.
THE INSERIES: THE ROMANTICS
The Romantics: Schumann & Heine

is a salon-style concert featuring the
song cycle Dichterliebe (Love of the
Poet), which Romantic composer Robert Schumann created with
poetry by Heinrich Heine. Tenor
Byron Jones and InSeries artistic
director and pianist Carla Hubner
collaborate on the famous song
cycle in a program that includes
original art projections and multimedia design by Jonathan Dahm
Robertson, plus other extraordinary
Schumann art songs performed
by mezzo-soprano Elizabeth
Mondragon. Pianist and commentator Frank Conlon also joins to
host a discussion of Schumanns
works and the Romantic movement in general. Sunday, Oct. 23,
and Saturday, Oct. 29, at 2:30 p.m.
Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW.
or visit inseries.org.
DANCE
ALIGHT DANCE THEATER
The complexity of womens relationships is explored in two repertory works by this Marylandbased company founded by Angella
Foster and blending dance, physical
theater and spoken word. Set to a
score of upbeat bluegrass music,
Matina Phillips and Eleni Groves
Blue Mountain Express follows four
women aboard a train as their stories are revealed and their similarities and differences celebrated.
Meanwhile, Fosters Womens Work
imagines a community of strong
women in her childhood home of
rural Kentucky, inspired by her
grandmas tales of kinship and hard
work and featuring original music
by Rob Collier and a massive, handmade suspended quilt. Saturday,

Oct. 29, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct.
30, at 7 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th
St. NE. Tickets are $20 in advance,
or $25 at the door. Call 202-2691600 or visit danceplace.org.
DAKSHINAS FALL FESTIVAL OF

SOUTH ASIAN ARTS
Daniel Phoenix Singhs Dakshina

presents its 13th annual weekend of dance, music and poetry,
featuring artists from around the
U.S. and India, including Indira
Kadambi, Rehan Bashir, Alif Laila
and Ashwati Nair as well as
Lakshmi Babu and the Dakshina
ensemble, showcasing its signature
fusion work. Friday, Oct. 21, at 7:30
p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.,
and Sunday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. Atlas
Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St.
NE. Tickets are $25 to $50. Call
202-399-7993 or visit dakshina.org.
REVOLUTIONARY MOTION
Emergence is the debut stage work

by D.C.-based Flow Arts Dance
Company, which was inspired by
this years Burning Man theme,
DaVincis Workshop. Said to be
equal parts circus, dance and theater, using the beautiful and complex spinning of poi, fans and hoops,
the work is an examination of technology from deep distrust to the
bonds we form with it. Saturday,
Oct. 21, and Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7:30
p.m. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231
Good Hope Road SE. Tickets are
$15 to $20. Call 202-631-6291 or
visit anacostiaartscenter.com.
THE SUZANNE FARRELL BALLET
The Kennedy Centers resident

ballet company celebrates its 15th
season with an all-Balanchine
program, including company premieres of the rarely seen Gounod
Symphony, staged as part of Farrells
Balanchine Preservation Initiative,
and the patriotic Stars & Stripes,
in addition to the return of audience favorite Danses Concertantes.
Performed with the Kennedy
Center Opera House Orchestra.
Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m., and
Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. and
8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2
p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower
Theater. Tickets are $39 to $99.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
COMEDY
POTUS AMONG US
No two performances by the

Washington Improv Theater are
alike and in this satire of the presidential election process, the audience picks the candidates and influences the story, including scandals
and shockers, of the next president.
Its a tale that the Washington
Improv Theatre promises to be as
unpredictable as the 2016 election
cycle. To Nov. 6. Source, 1835 14th
St. NW. Tickets $15 in advance, or

$20 at the door. Call 202-204-7760
or visit witdc.org.
THE BENTZEN BALL COMEDY

FESTIVAL
Lesbian comedian Tig Notaro

curates the annual four-day event,
which she kicks off at the Lincoln
Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 27, with
a show featuring her friends including Aparna Nancherla and Lizzy
Cooperman. In addition to a run
of shows all weekend by Jon Dore
at Drafthouse Comedy, the festival continues Friday, Oct. 28, with
Pound It! at the Lincoln featuring Bridget Everett, Michael Ian
Black, Melissa Villasenor, and Jason
Weems, as well as stand-up from
Baron Vaughn and a free Picture
This show with Brandie Posey and
Sam Varela, both at the Kennedy
Center. On Saturday, Oct. 29, Sixth
and I hosts Mock The Vote: PreElection Comedy Showcase with
Lee Camp, Leah Bonnema, Brian
Parise and Andrew Knox, while
the Lincoln features Stuff You
Should Know Live! with Chuck
Bryant and Josh Clark, followed by
a Halloween/Election Nightmare
Comedy Show. DC Improv also
hosts two events Saturday: the Last
Podcast on the Left Halloween
Bentzen Ball Edition, and a onehour stand-up taping of John F.
ODonnell directed by Fugazis
Brendan Canty, with Dave Hill
and host Amber Nelson. The festivals final day offers a UHF Live
Commentary show at the Lincoln
featuring Weird Al Yankovic,
Malcolm Gladwell, Dave Hill and
Emo Phillips, concluding with a
Horror Show-themed Story District
event with storytellers sharing true
stories about ghosts, devils and
things that go bump in the night.
Visit brightestyoungthings.com/
bentzen-ball for tickets and more
information.
READINGS AND
LECTURES
ABBI JACOBSON
The co-creator and co-star of

Comedy Centrals hilariously
wacky Broad City stops for a discussion at Sixth and I focused on
Carry This Book, a weird and wonderful look at the world around
us all through the framework
of the things we carry. The book
includes bright, quirky and colorful line drawings by the comedian
herself who graduated with a
degree in fine arts and video production from Baltimores Maryland
Institute College of Art before moving to New York a decade ago to
pursue a career in comedy at the
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. Sixth
& I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St.
NW. Tickets are $35 including one
book pre-signed by Jacobson, or

$50 for two tickets and one presigned book. Call 202-408-3100 or
visit sixthandi.org.
ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ
TYLER SHIELDS
The founder of the pioneering Dog

Cognition Lab at Barnard College
offers more insights from her canine
research in Being a Dog: Following
the Dog into a World of Smell. A
sequel of sorts to Inside of A Dog:
What Dogs See, Smell and Know,
the psychology professors second book on dog behavior lays out
the physiology of a dogs nose and
interviews experts on the olfactory
range of different animals, including the distinctly weaker snout of
humans. For a dog, air is the richest source of information and
increasingly dogs are being used to
sniff out more than just bombs and
illicit substances, including cancer
and disease detection in humans.
Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. Politics
and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.
NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN
Billed as an unyielding, brutally

honest monologue reflecting on
diverse culture, street cuisine and
his travels to lesser-known locations around the world, Bourdains
The Hunger Tour is said to be
full of laughs and snarky comments
about Yelpers and all that ails the
food world today. It comes ahead
of his new cookbook Appetites and
in service of the eighth season of
Bourdains travel and food show
Parts Unknown on CNN. Thursday,
Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. D.A.R.
Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW.
Tickets are $71 to $450. Call 202628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.
DAVE BARRY
Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated

humor columnist reads from and
signs copies of his latest book, Best.
State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends
His Homeland. Barry pleads his case
for those who still begrudge the
state for its (mis)handling of the
2000 presidential election guilty
as well as those who wonder
how people can live with all those
alligators and oversized insects,
not to mention seemingly underdeveloped brains. Friday, Oct. 28,
at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
EXHIBITS
BIRDHOUSES OF DEL RAY
Local artists created one-of-a-kind

birdhouses from a wide range of
materials including clay, fiber,
and glass for a silent auction fundraiser as part of the Local Flavor
show. Closes Tuesday, Oct. 25. Del
Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount
Vernon Ave. Alexandria. Call 703731-8802 or visit delrayartisans.org.
RUMER HAS IT
A critically acclaimed cabaret show is just the latest from

the daughter of Bruce and Demi
OU SHOULDNT STRESS YOURSELF OR EVER TRY AND COMPARE YOURSELF

to be like anybody else, says Rumer Willis. You just have to show people who you
are. Go out there and interact, and really give people a chance to get to know you.
Its a mantra the oldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore clearly lives by. If she
ever feels burdened to prove herself or her talent because of her celebrity parents, she
doesnt let on. Instead, over the past few years Willis has quietly, diligently, been plotting
her own course to fame, reaping both recognition and rewards entirely of her own making.
Most notably, Willis pushed herself to have all the right moves last year, winning season 20
of ABCs Dancing With The Stars. I didnt grow up with any kind of formal dance training,
she says, so that was definitely a new experience for me.
It was also great preparation for her debut on Broadway a few months later, as Roxie Hart in
Chicago. Ive wanted to do Broadway my entire life, and I especially love Chicago. It was really
kind of a surreal experience. It was just such a dream come true. But the best was yet to come,
when Willis earned perhaps the highest praise of her career so far in a glowing review by the New
York Times of the 28-year-olds cabaret debut at the Cafe Carlyle.
Her voice is strong with a wailing upper register, wrote Stephen Holden. She didnt overdo
it.... Shes a natural. No wonder other cabaret venues, including Amp in North Bethesda, were
eager to book Willis to reprise the show, which includes covers by artists as diverse as Billie
Holiday, Brandi Carlile and Fiona Apple, in addition to a Chicago standard or two. I want to give
more people in the country a chance to kind of see what Im doing and hear me sing, Willis says.
She sees her cabaret as an interactive form of expression. Its a mix of singing, storytelling and
hopefully a lot of laughter, she says. I go out into the audience and ask people about their stories
and give them a chance to really get to know me and me to get to know them.
In addition to that refreshing sense of humility and geniality, Willis also strives to make everyone feel welcome. Im a huge supporter of the LGBT community. My goal and my dream is to
hopefully do anything and everything I can to create a world where theres more acceptance and
love for everyone. Doug Rule
Rumer Willis performs Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m., at Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park
Ave. in North Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $40 to $50 and include a meet-and-greet with Willis after
the show. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
15
The fine crafts showcase returns to the DC Armory this weekend, this year with an
additional focus on studio furniture designers. The American Fine Craft Show features
artisans who are among the best in their fields in furniture-making, woodwork, ceramics,
glassware, leather and metal goods, painting, jewelry and other wearable and decorative
art. Artists come from across the United States and Canada, and many have not previously exhibited in the D.C. area. Friday, Oct. 21, from 4:30 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22, from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. DC Armory, 2001 East
Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $8 for Friday, $15 for Saturday or Sunday, or $16 for a weekend
pass. Call 202-271-1171 or visit AmericanFineCraftShowDC.com.
CNN POLITICS CAMPAIGN 2016:

LIKE, SHARE, ELECT
The Newseum has partnered

with CNN as well as Facebook,
Instagram, Zignal Labs and Pivit
to offer an interactive exhibit telling the story of the 2016 presidential
campaign in real time, which, lets
face it, is even more fantastical than
the story of Alice jumping down the
rabbit hole. The exhibit explores the
ways digital and social media have
transformed how candidates campaign, how journalists cover elections
(when Trump doesnt ban them), and
how the public participates in the
political process. Through Jan. 22.
Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general
admission. Call 888-NEWSEUM or
visit newseum.org.
FORDS THEATRES
HISTORY ON FOOT
A local actor offers the guided tour Investigation: Detective

McDevitt, portraying Detective
James McDevitt, a D.C. police officer patrolling a half-block from
Fords Theatre the night President
Lincoln was shot. Written by
Richard Hellesen and directed by
Mark Ramont, the 1.6-mile walking
tour revisits and reexamines the
sites and clues from the investigation into the assassination. Only two
more tours will be offered in 2016,
on Saturday, Oct. 22, and Saturday,
Oct. 29, at 10:15 a.m. Fords Theatre,
511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17.
Call 202-397-7328 or visit fords.org.
16
GORDON BINDER, SALLY LEVIE,

YVETTE KRAFT
Skylines and Treelines is a collaborative show of paintings and drawings by Gordon Binder and Sally
Levie exploring nature and the built
environment, presented in Studio
Gallerys lower level. Upstairs, A
30 Year View shows work from
throughout Yvette Krafts artistic
career. Closes Saturday, Oct. 22.
Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. Call
202-232-8734 or visit studiogallerydc.com.
JOHN WATERS KIDDIE

FLAMINGOS
Few people could have imagined

that John Waters lovable 1988
film Hairspray would become a hit
Broadway musical and subsequent
hit musical film. No one in their
right mind would pick his startlingly tasteless Pink Flamingos to be
next up for a similar resurgence
though you cant say Baltimores
king of camp isnt trying, albeit
modestly. In 2014 he filmed children reading a cleverly modified,
G-rated version of the 1972 cult
classic. The 74-minute film features
kids mostly his friends children
wearing wigs and costumes that
evoke the legendary performances
of Divine, Mink Stole, Edith Massey
and others. Waters has even suggested the new version is in some
ways more perverse than the original. Now to Jan. 22. The Baltimore
Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum
Dr. Baltimore. Call 443-573-1700 or
visit artbma.org.
COURTESY OF AMERICAN ART MARKETING
AMERICAN FINE CRAFT SHOW
RAGNAR KJARTANSSON
One of the most celebrated performance artists, anywhere, according to the New York Times, gets his
first major U.S. survey with an exhibition at the Hirshhorn organized in
association with Londons Barbican.
Ragnar Kjartansson includes a
new epic work, an unprecedented 12-week live theatrical performance piece starring a rotating
cast of local D.C. female musicians
as selected by the Icelandic artist. Woman in E features a single,
sequin-clad woman strumming an
E-minor chord endlessly, rotating
on a pedestal in a gold-tinseled
room a performance said to
walk the line between kitsch and
earnest commentary on feminine
objectification. Other works encompass everything from live endurance performance to large-scale
video installations to photography
and painting. Born into a theatrical family, Kjartanssons work
generally celebrates and ridicules
at once the romantic figure of the
artist as a cultural hero. A daylong fall festival with performances by local bands and art-making
activities on Saturday, Oct. 22. On
exhibit through Jan. 8. Hirshhorn
Museum and Sculpture Garden,
Independence Avenue and Seventh
Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or
visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
SANTIAGO MONTOYA: THE

GREAT SWINDLE
In collaboration with Londons

Halcyon Gallery, the Art Museum
of the Americas presents an exhibition of works from the last decade

by the Colombian artist using paper
currency as the basis for his multidisciplinary approach. Consisting
of works featuring painting, video
documentary and found objects,
The Great Swindle examines the
use of paper money as a platform
of political propaganda, exploiting
iconic pictures to bolster power
and embed imagery in national
consciousness. Roundtable discussion with Thomas B.D. Cummins
of Dumbarton Oaks and curator
Jose Luis Falconi is Thursday, Oct.
20, from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by
an opening reception from 6 to 8
p.m. On exhibit through March 26.
Organization of American States,
1889 F St. NW. Call 202-370-0149
or visit AMAmuseum.org to RSVP
for opening day or to schedule a
later visit.
ABOVE & BEYOND

2016 DC DESIGN HOUSE
A benefit for Childrens National

Health System, the annual event
highlights the talents of the D.C.
areas top decorators, who will
transform 21 spaces both inside
and outside of the former French
Ambassadors residence a nearly
12,000-square-foot home listed at
$10.8 million. This years designers
include Charles Almonte, Kimberly
Asner, Rachel Dougan, Melanie
Hansen & Pooja Mittra & Steve
Corbeille, Josh Hildreth & Victor
Sanz, Lena Kroupnik, Jonathan
Senner, and Stephen Wlodarczyk &
Joshua Dean. Open to Oct. 30. 2509
Foxhall Rd. NW. Tickets are $35 to
$60. Visit dcdesignhouse.com for
more information.
A FACE IN THE CROWD
Two area arts organizations are

focusing on the 1957 film that made
a star out of Andy Griffith, who
played a powerful radio and TV
personality with an ultimately sinister force in American political life
a foreshadowing of the rise of
Donald Trump. First up is a screening and discussion at the Hill Center
as part of the Political Nightmares
film noir series. New Yorker staff
writer Margaret Talbot and movie
critic Nell Minow will discuss Elia
Kazans film along with Politicos
Jack Shafer. Sunday, Oct. 23, at 4
p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital,
921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free, but
registration recommended for guaranteed seating. Call 202-549-4172
or visit HillCenterDC.org. The next
night, Signature Theatre offers a
reading of Budd Schulbergs screenplay as its contribution in Theatrical
Selections, a provocative free politically charged reading series by
five major D.C. theater companies
in the month before this years election. Part rags-to-riches cautionary tale, part-political thriller and
part-doomed romance, Signature
own doublet and hose.) Just dont

bring weapons, real or toy, or pets,
as they tend to eat the turkey legs.
Closes Sunday, Oct. 23. Maryland
Renaissance Festival, Crownsville
Road, Crownsville, Md. Tickets are
$17 to $22 for a single-day adult
ticket. Call 800-296-7304 or visit
marylandrenaissancefestival.com.
JIMMY MARBLE
RAVENS NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA
KINGS OF LEON
One of the first concerts announced at the soon-to-open MGM National Harbor, Kings
of Leon will kick off the first leg of their 2017 tour in the new entertainment complex in
Prince Georges County. The tour is in support of just-released seventh album Walls, named
after the moving ballad that closes out a goosebump-inducing set as Q Magazine puts
it which just might make a fan out of an unsuspecting listener. Once known for blustery,
bluesy, angular Southern rock, Kings of Leon are trending towards post-punk-inspired tunes
that are bittersweet, anthemic, and rich in melody and grooves, like a latter-day U2 or an
improved Interpol. One listen to fifth track Over and youll hear what I mean. Tickets on
sale Friday, Oct. 21, for Thursday, Jan. 12, concert at the Theater at MGM National Harbor,
7100 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill, Md. Call 844-346-4664 or visit mgmnationalharbor.com.
describes the screenplay as one that

foretold how mass media, celebrity, commerce and politics would
become forever intertwined, in a
way that was almost incomprehensible when it was written. Monday,
Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. Signature Theatre,
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington.
Free. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.
FIREFLIES LGBT LIP

BATTLE & HAPPY HOUR
SYNC
The last Friday of every month

the Alexandria restaurant Fireflies
presents a Lip Sync battle contest
with prizes and an extended happy
hour geared toward the LGBT community with $5 cocktails and $8
pizza, all set to retro dance music.
This months battle is focused on
18
Priscilla. Friday, Oct. 28, starting at

7 p.m. FireFlies Del Ray, 1501 Mt.
Vernon Ave. Alexandria. Call 703548-7200 or visit facebook.com/
FirefliesDelRay.
LA-TI-DO
Regie Cabico and Don Mike

Mendozas La-Ti-Do variety show
features higher-quality singing
than most karaoke, often from local
musical theater actors performing
on their night off, and also includes
spoken-word poetry and comedy.
Held at Bistro Bistro in Dupont
Circle, Mendoza and Anya Randall
Nebel host the next event featuring
Madeline Cuddihy, Michelle Bruno,
Rockville Musical Theatre, and
guest performers including Joseph
Benitez. Accompaniment by pianist
Levar Betts. Monday, Oct. 24, at 8

p.m. Bistro Bistro, 1727 Connecticut
Ave. NW. Tickets are $15, or $10
if you eat dinner at the restaurant
beforehand. Call 202-328-1640 or
visit latidodc.wix.com/latido.
MARYLAND RENAISSANCE
FESTIVAL
As summer nears its end, thoughts

naturally turn to jousting, feasting,
crafts, theater, music, and merriment. Yes, its time once again for
Maryland Renaissance Festival, one
of the worlds largest festivals recreating 16th century England. Now
in its 40th season and set in a park
outside of Annapolis, Md., the festival encourages patrons to dress up
in period costume. (Theyre available to rent if you dont have your
Local married couple Belladonna

and drag king extraordinaire Ken
Vegas co-produce this wide-ranging show, rooted in Bellas primary
work as a tribal fusion bellydance
performer and teacher, as well as
her background as a medieval reenactor. It also encompasses other
forms of dance, performance art
and music. In many ways, not least
because the audience is encouraged
to dress up, Ravens Night is the
sort of event youre only going to
experience around Halloween
not least for its name, an homage
to Baltimores master of macabre,
Edgar Allan Poe. We just wanted
to create something where people could dress up, have a sense
of community and come see a lot
of different styles of entertainment, Bella told Metro Weekly
last year. Its really meant to be a
festive, all-inclusive space where
people get to play with their creativity. Bella hosts the 5th Annual
Extravaganza, built around the
theme Celestial Bodies and featuring other belly dancers, mostly from D.C. and New York, collaborative world music ensemble
DragonSong, the BellaTrix Dance
Company, the Lady Octavia, and
tarot reader Madame Roxie, among
others. Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at
5 p.m. with a carnival, followed by a
concert at 6:30 p.m., and the cabaret
at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701
Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
or visit birchmere.com.
SIR: ALL-MALE BURLESQUE

SHOW
Derek Browns high-energy, hiphop-styled X-Faction Dance troupe

was a staple at Velvet Nation and
Town Danceboutique. Now Brown
is regularly upstaging the food at
Penn Quarters two-story establishment Sax. As the Moulin Rougeinspired restaurants official artistic
director and choreographer, Brown
programs short bursts of movement-based spectacles, including
aerial stunts, hip-hop group routines and burlesque. And male
burlesque is the showcase for the
weekly Sunday brunch, as a group
of professional dancers, aerialists
and bodybuilders perform two fulllength shows. Every Sunday at 11
a.m. and 2 p.m. Sax Restaurant &
Lounge, 734 11th St. NW. Tickets
are $50 to $65 including appetizers
and unlimited mimosas. Call 202737-0101 or visitsiratsax.com. l
ALEXANDRU NIKA
theFeed
REPEALING RIGHTS
Massachusetts conservatives want to repeal transgender protections.

We meet those fighting to ensure it doesnt happen. By John Riley
ADEN MOHAMED HAS REJECTED HIS BIRTH GENDER FOR AS LONG

as he can remember. His earliest memories involve being two or three years
old and trying to pee standing up, or pretending to shave, just as his dad did
each morning. Yet, when Mohamed entered school, he was forced to conform to the
way girls were supposed to act. Hiding his true identity was the only way he could
avoid standing out.
I pushed it really far down, and buried it in my subconscious, says the 24-year
old. The other thing was, Im not that old, but the Internet and society was not what
it is today. So even the language to describe what I was feeling was not something I
had. Id heard the word tranny before and transvestite, but to me, those are offensive words. Even growing up in New York City, that was the extent of my exposure.
It wasnt until Mohamed attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts that he
finally explored his gender identity. He met transgender people, majored in womens
and gender studies, and then the pieces began to fall into place. By his junior year,
he was identifying as male and had begun to transition. His experience led to him
becoming involved with efforts to make the culture at Wellesley College a womens
liberal-arts college more accepting for transgender students.
It was through that work that Mohamed was asked to join the Massachusetts
Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC). There, he worked to amend Massachusetts
nondiscrimination law, which at the time only provided protections for transgender
people in the same way it does gays, lesbians and bisexuals. In July, after years of
work by MTPC and its allies, lawmakers finally approved a transgender nondiscrimination bill. It was subsequently signed into law by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker,
and took effect at the start of October.
It was a moment of relief, and a moment of finally, we have progress when the
bill passed, Mohamed says. It was, to me, what marriage equality was to other
people. It was a moment of This is a really awesome first step, and now we can focus
on doing all the other stuff we have

to do.
Unfortunately, the relief was
short-lived. After Gov. Baker
signing the bill, social conservatives mobilized. Outraged that the
state would try to offer its transgender citizens basic protections,
they seized upon Massachusetts
extremely low threshold for forcing
a law on to election ballots. After
years of work by trans advocates,
only 32,375 signatures in a state
of more than 4.2 million registered
voters were needed to put the
law to a public vote. They now face
two years of uncertainty as conservatives, led by the Massachusetts
Family Institute, attempt to convince voters to repeal the law
during the 2018 midterms.
More than anything, it was a
blow to those who not only had
worked so hard for the law to be
passed, but also stood to benefit
from its protections.
When I heard it was going to be
on the ballot, it was more of a sinking feeling, Mohamed says. In
more than one way, its depressing
almost, because theres a group of
people who not only want to discriminate against us, but want the
law to discriminate against us as
well. It doesnt make me feel great
about humanity.
Hes also frustrated, because a
coalition of pro-transgender groups,
led by Freedom Massachusetts, will
now have to engage in the same
battles they went through in order
to pass the law. It also underscores
for Mohamed just how tough the
battle for equality can be and the
strength of the vitriol from those
opposed to transgender equality.
Thats what its coming down
to: this is how people want to treat
me, Mohamed says. This isnt
about your religion, regardless of
what you want to say. This isnt
about womens rights or womens
protection, regardless of what you
want to say. Its about people wanting to be bigots and put other people down.
Not that activists are taking the
ballot initiative as a sign of defeat.
Mason Dunn, executive director of
MTPC and an executive board member of the Trans United Fund, says
21
theFeed
that the work MTPC and its partners did to get the law passed
revealed that a substantial number of voters support the law.
Thats why he believes it will be upheld at the ballot box.
We know that the vast majority of the state supports us,
and we will see that in 2018, says Dunn. When it comes
to a vote, a majority of voters will support fairness and vote
for this law.
However, ensuring its success wont be straightforward.
Freedom Massachusetts and its coalition partners are preparing for a long, drawn-out fight over the next two years,
and will be announcing a new structure, as well as a campaign strategy, in the coming weeks. Part of that strategy
will involve making the transgender experience more accessible by sharing the personal stories of transgender people
and their families, so that Massachusetts residents can see
and relate to transgender people as humans rather than an
abstract concept relegated to ballot initiatives and political
fearmongering.
The opposition uses these scare tactics, which are not
based in reality, says Dunn. What I hope for this campaign
is that we will base our work in reality, and the reality is that
trans people live in our communities.
Dunn also hopes to make use of allies who helped to pass
the nondiscrimination law including more than 250 large
and small businesses and more than 350 clergy in order
to drive home the communitys support of LGBT rights and
to avoid ceding ground to opponents of the law, who often
allege that transgender rights are in direct opposition to the
beliefs of faith communities.
And while some may be nervous about the challenges
of running a two-year campaign such as fundraising and
marshaling volunteers the longer timeline may prove to
be an asset for supporters of equality.
Two years is a long time, says Lynne Bowman, senior
regional field director for the Human Rights Campaign. Its
a long time when it comes to the culture. Its a long time
when it comes to progress. If you look at where the LGBT
movement was even two years ago, its in a very different
place than it was. We have an opportunity to really spend
a lot of time having conversations with voters. As we saw
with the marriage campaigns, as those became more successful, and as weve seen in some local nondiscrimination
ordinance ballot campaigns, it is the door-to-door talking
to voters, having substantial conversations about why trans
rights are important and who trans people are that changes hearts and minds.
Bowman believes that LGBT advocates have learned
from past fights that they cant just stick to intellectual arguments when pitching to voters. It also helps that advocates
know what the oppositions chief argument for dismantling
the law will be.
Its very clear that our opposition will use the bathroom
argument. Its what they used during the legislative fight in
Massachusetts, and its what they used in order to collect
signatures, she says. We have to find ways to relate to peoples hearts. We cant go just with the head arguments. And
were going to have to find out just what those arguments
are that resonate with folks.
Monica Roberts, a longtime transgender activist in Texas,
says there are lessons that people in Massachusetts can take
from the failure of HERO in Houston and the passage of
22
the anti-transgender HB 2 law in North Carolina. Namely,

transgender people particularly transgender people of
color must be front-and-center when defending the law
or the transgender community against attacks by opponents.
The only thing that the right wing has to throw is
bathroom B.S. And that is an old tactic by our conservative
friends, to bring up bathrooms when they want to oppose
human rights legislation, she says. Its nothing new. They
did this during segregation, they did this when the Equal
Rights Amendment was cruising towards passage, they did
this when the gay rights movement was gaining traction.
One of the other things you have to be on the alert for
is the right-wingers using black ministers as their spokespeople for these causes. Because theyre playing on the
fact that, sadly, most of the leadership in LGBT ranks is
monoracial. It is not diverse, says Roberts. And so theyll
deploy this argument that Youre hijacking our Civil Rights
Movement, which is bullshit, because they need to Google a
gay black man who was one of the influential leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement, Bayard Rustin. That argument also
erases the fact that some LGBT folks are black and Latino
and other ethnic backgrounds.
Its also important for national groups who become
involved in the ballot fight to step back and let local activists take the lead, Roberts says. The coalition must also
engage and coordinate with local organizations who could
potentially serve as allies. She points to the failure to engage
the Houston NAACP and the lack of significant Spanishlanguage outreach until well after early voting had started as
examples of errors that were made during the HERO fight
in Houston.
But Matt McTighe says the biggest lesson that came
out of the HERO fight was the need for public education.
The pro-LGBT side simply didnt have enough time to
engage voters. We have two years. Weve got time on our
side now, says the executive director of Freedom for All
Americans. But they also have the groundwork necessary
to better engage voters, such as using the personal stories of
transgender people to help sway hearts and minds.
Just like when we started to win on marriage, we realize
that theres no one size fits all message or messenger. You
need to find out whos the best person to connect with a voter,
whos the best person to be a spokesperson, he says. This
campaign, from the beginning, has featured an array of diverse
voices from all walks of life, and will continue to do so.
For Kaden Mohamed, the fight to ensure he will be
protected under the law has been exhausting and at times
frustrating. No more so than when it comes to holding
long, intense and often difficult conversations with people
who are unfamiliar with the concept of what it means to be
transgender. But he also feels prepared to take on that task.
Something I always try to remember, regardless of what
aspect of my work Im doing, is its important to meet people
where theyre at. And apparently there are some people who
are really far behind us, Mohamed says. If that means we
have to take a step back for a while and help them move on
with us, then, as frustrating and upsetting and disheartening
as it is, thats what were going to do. We really have to not
let our anger and frustration get in the way of us meeting
people where theyre at, and helping them understand what
this is all about, who we really are. l
WARD MORRISON
Community
HEEL RAISERS
THURSDAY, October 20
CHRYSALIS arts & culture
HERE ELSE CAN YOU SEE DRAG QUEENS, SEPTA UNELLA, THE NUN FROM
Game of Thrones, Cruella de Vil flocked by a herd of dalmatians, mock political figures
ranging from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin, and a host of pun-related costumes? On
17th Street NW, of course.
Each year, on the Tuesday before Halloween, the main drag in D.C.s traditional gayborhood
gets a veritable ton of foot traffic as people don creative costumes and heels, from simple 1-inch
pumps to 6-inch stilettos, as they prepare for the annual 17th Street High Heel Race. The actual
course is a 300-meter straightaway, and the race typically lasts only a few minutes, but what draws
thousands of spectators each year is the parade of costumes two hours prior to the starting gun.
Participants strut up and down the street in their fancy footwear, hugging old friends and acquaintances, posing for photos, spraying silly string and confetti, and engaging in various campy antics.
The race, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was initially attended by only those in
the know within D.C.s LGBT community, but has grown in popularity each year. Now, families
with children from the suburbs regularly attend and try to grab selfies with race participants. Its
a change that would have been unimaginable at a gay event 30 years ago, says Dave Perruzza,
general manager of JR.s Bar & Grill, the host bar of the High Heel Race.
In preparation for this Tuesdays race, JR.s has gone on a decorating blitz, constructing a 10-foot
tall wooden high heel resting on a ledge above the bar. Suspended above the bar are 30 pairs of silver-colored high heels. I joke that each pair is the heel the winner wore each year, says Perruzza.
But we actually went to a thrift store and bought 30 pairs of heels to represent each year.
Perruzza is so consumed with making sure the event runs flawlessly, worrying about security,
crowd safety, and whether he can get enough volunteers, that he cant really sit back and enjoy
the race. But he does have a fond memory from years ago.
The first year I ran it, just before I went out, [JR.s owner] Eric Little said, If you fall and hurt
yourself, youll be out of work and wont have any income. And I said, Ill be fine. I was one of the
people who actually put on six-inch heels, and somebody fell right in front of me, he says. And
Im wearing this silver lam dress with wings and stuff on it, and I jump over this person, and all I
could think about was, I cannot prove Eric right and sprain my ankle. So I did the perfect landing
and kept on running. I got 13th place that year. John Riley
The 30th Annual 17th Street High Heel Race will take place on on Tuesday, Oct. 25 on 17th Street
between the intersections of P and R. The parade of participants starts at 7 p.m., with the race
starting at Cobalt at 9 p.m. Volunteers are welcome, and must report to JR.s at 1519 17th St. NW,
by 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit jrsbar-dc.com.
group takes free 90-minute

walking tour of DC sites associated with James Monroe, first
elected President 200 years
ago. The walk is led by a professional tour guide and begins
at 10:30 p.m. by the statue in
Lafayette Square at Madison
Place and Pennsylvania Avenue
NW and ends at noon near 20th
& I Streets NW. Email Martin
at martinm0413@gmail.com.
The DC Center holds a meeting of its POLY DISCUSSION

GROUP, for people interested
in polyamory, non-monogamy
or other non-traditional relationships. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.
7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay

and lesbian square-dancing
group features mainstream
through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Christian Church, 5 Thomas
Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual
dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social group
meets for happy hour at The
23
Sheraton in Reston, 11810 Sunrise

Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9
p.m. All welcome. Visit dullestriangles.com.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St.
NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics
Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30

p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The
group is independent of UHU. 202446-1100.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
women, 13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m.

SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th St.
SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
FRIDAY, October 21
GAY DISTRICT, a group for
GBTQQI men between the ages of

18-35, meets on the first and third
Fridays of each month. Dinner or
social outing to follow the meeting.
8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit gaydistrict.org.
LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP
for adults in Montgomery County

offers a safe space to explore
coming out and issues of identity.
10-11:30 a.m. 16220 S. Frederick
Rd., Suite 512, Gaithersburg, Md.
For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing,
9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by

appointment). 202-291-4707,
andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
practice session at Hains Point,

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor

Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages

11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, layc-dc.org.
SMYALS REC NIGHT provides a

social atmosphere for GLBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. More info, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
24
SATURDAY, October 22
Join volunteers from The DC
Center as they volunteer at the
FOOD & FRIENDS KITCHEN. 10
a.m.-12 p.m. 219 Riggs Rd. NE.
For more information, call Food
& Friends at 202-269-2277, or call
The DC Center at 202-682-2245.
The DC Center holds an LGBTQ
ASL CLASS for people who wish to
learn American Sign Language. 1-3
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
Weekly Events
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by
members of the LGBT community,

holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by
Kiddush luncheon. Services in
DCJCC Community Room, 1529
16th St. NW. betmish.org.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian

culture, meets. For location/time,
email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.
com.
practice session at Hains Point, 972

Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes all

levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing
afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd &
P Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m.
for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.
DC SENTINELS basketball
team meets at Turkey Thicket

Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan
Ave. NE, 2-4 p.m. For players of all
levels, gay or straight. teamdcbasketball.org.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and

friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For
more info, visit dignitynova.org.
GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses
critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St.

NW. RSVP preferred. brendandarcy@gmail.com.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Takoma

Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave.,
Suite 411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For
appointments other hours, call 301422-2398.
SUNDAY, October 23
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes 10 strenuous miles with 2200

feet of elevation gain in southern
section of Shenandoah National
Park. Experienced hikers only.

Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy
boots, bug spray and about $20 for
fees, plus money for dinner on the
way home. Return after 10 p.m.
Carpool from the Kiss & Ride lot
of the East Falls Church Metro
Station. Harris, 443-415-7856.
adventuring.org.
Weekly Events
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive
and radically inclusive church

holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217
Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895,
betheldc.org.

972 Ohio Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DIGNITYUSA offers Roman
Catholic Mass for the LGBT

community. 6 p.m., St. Margarets
Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW.
All welcome. Sign interpreted. For
more info, visit dignitynova.org.
FRIENDS MEETING OF
WASHINGTON meets for worship,
10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,

Quaker House Living Room (next
to Meeting House on Decatur
Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome
to lesbians and gays. Handicapped
accessible from Phelps Place gate.
Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the
DC metro area. This group will be

meeting once a month. For information on location and time, visit
H2gether.com.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT, God-centered
new age church & learning center.

Sunday Services and Workshops
event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. isddc.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF
REFORMATION invites all to
Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m.

Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for
25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE.
reformationdc.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted) and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday

School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW.
202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,
a Christ-centered, interracial,
welcoming-and-affirming church,
offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St.
SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-
ing-and-affirming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia
Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444

Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-
ing and inclusive church. GLBT

Interweave social/service group
meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,
Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.
NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, October 24
Weekly Events

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.
GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave.
NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY
(K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St.,
Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV

testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4
p.m. 703-823-4401.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite
200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.
The DC Center hosts COFFEE
DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT

COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000
14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay

mens evening affinity group. 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS
WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9
p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300

Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers
with at least basic swimming ability
always welcome. Tom, 703-2990504, secretary@wetskins.org,
wetskins.org.
WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH
HIV/AIDS Support Group for

newly diagnosed individuals,
meets 7 p.m. Registration required.
202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.
TUESDAY, October 25
Join the greater D.C. LGBT community and Dupont Circle neighborhood to celebrate the 30TH
ANNUAL 17TH STREET HIGH

HEEL RACE. Parade of costumes
starts at 7 p.m., with the race kicking off at 9 p.m. Volunteers needed,
arrive at JR.s, 1519 17th St. NW,
at 6:30 p.m. For more information,
visit jrsbar-dc.com.
WEDNESDAY, October 26
The DC Centers GENDERQUEER

DC support and discussion group
for people who identify outside the
gender binary, meets on the fourth
Tuesday of every month. 7-8:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
414 East Diamond Ave., and

in Takoma Park, 7676 New
Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 2-6 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call Gaithersburg at
301-300-9978 or Takoma Park at
301-422-2398.
The DC Center hosts a monthly

meeting of its HIV PREVENTION
WORKING GROUP. 6-8 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
LGBT focused meeting every

Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. Georges
Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland
Ave., Arlington, just steps from
Virginia Square Metro. For
more info. call Dick, 703-5211999. Handicapped accessible.
Newcomers welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB will
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly
dinner in Dupont/Logan Circle

area, 6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com,
afwashington.net.
practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.
7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club serving greater D.C.s LGBT community and

allies hosts an evening run/walk.
dcfrontrunners.org.
THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free
HIV testing and STI screening

and treatment every Tuesday.
5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday
LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health
Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.
james.leslie@inova.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg,
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ

YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at
SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m.

Cathy Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support
group for black gay men 40 and

older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY

MENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS/
STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701
14th St. NW. Patients are seen on

walk-in basis. No-cost screening
for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and
chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes
testing available for fee. whitman-walker.org.
meet for Duplicate Bridge. 7:30

p.m. Dignity Center 721 8th St., S.E.
(across from Marine Barracks). No
reservation needed. Call 202-8410279 if you need a partner.
Weekly Events
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m.,

Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

group for LGBT people looking
to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH
offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.

and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg,

414 East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins
2-7 p.m. For appointments other
hours, call Gaithersburg at 301300-9978.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job entrants and seekers,
meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more info, www.centercareers.org.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV
testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N.
15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.
Appointments: 703-789-4467.
PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club
for mature gay men, hosts weekly
happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian
Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl,
703-573-8316. l
Submit your community event for
consideration at least 10 days prior
to the Thursday publication you
would like it to appear. Email to calendar@metroweekly.com.
25
Scene
26
Reel Affirmations 23 at GALA Hisapnic Theatre - Saturday, October 15
Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
27
Touchof
Evil
Marg Helgenberger on playing one of theaters legendary villains, shedding TV
typecasting, and why Donald Trump needs to be stopped
Interview by Randy Shulman

Marg Helgenberger photographed by Todd Franson on Thursday, Oct. 6 at Arena Stage
VERY NIGHT, MARG HELGENBERGER

dons a stunning, early 20th century Southern
gown and enacts a moment as shocking as it is
criminal. Even if youre familiar with The Little
Foxes, Lillian Hellmans heart-stopping drama
about selfishness, greed and deceit, and even
if you know whats about to transpire, nothing can prepare you
for the ice-cold vigor with which Helgenberger plays Regina
Gibbons, a woman who uses circumstance to her advantage in
the most brutal means possible.
Hellmans 1939 masterpiece has seen its share of legends take
on the role of Regina. Tallulah Bankhead opened it on Broadway,
Bette Davis immortalized it in William Wylers classic film, Anne
Bancroft and Elizabeth Taylor starred in revivals, the latter of
which played for six weeks at the Kennedy Center in the early
eighties. Stepping into Reginas shoes is a formidable task for
nearly any actress, but you need starpower to truly carry the part.
And Helgenberger has starpower to spare. Witness her indelible
portrayal of Catherine Willows in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,
in which she served as an emotional balance to William Petersens
cool, distant Gil Grissom. Helgenberger brings presence to almost
any part she plays, and when shes onstage, inches away, its
impossible to tear your gaze from her. (That said, shes wellmatched in The Little Foxes by a Washington powerhouse cast
that includes Ed Gero, Isabel Keating and Jack Willis, as Reginas
beleaguered, ailing husband, Horace.)
I had never read the play before it was offered to me, nor had
I seen the movie, says the actress, radiant at 57. I was reluctant
to see the movie, just because, you dont want to be influenced or
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anything. Having said that, I did see it. Its not easy to get a hold
of, so I got it on Amazon. To be honest, I started watching it sort
of too late at night and I was tired, so I kind of fell asleep. (She
has since watched the film and has nothing but praise for Davis.)
Helgenberger, of course, is nothing like Regina. But in her
presence, one feels an intense gust of strength, assuredness,
intellect, traits that carry over to her portrayal. She infuses the
southern viper with just enough humanity to make her poison
that much more lethal. Helgenberger may not be an evil woman
herself, but she sure as hell knows how to bring one to vivid life.
METRO WEEKLY: You have to become Regina every night. She is
not a pleasant human being. What is it like to inhabit such an evil

character?
MARG HELGENBERGER: The first act is fun, because its setting
up the plot, and I get to flirt. Its just easy breezy, you know?
Then it just progressively gets more challenging, and Regina gets
progressively more manipulative, and then just gets downright
cruel. When I first started working on it, I was kind of scared of
the cruelty, because I just cant imagine doing that to someone.
I was like, Who does that? Unless youre just so ambitious, so
cut off, so desperate. Shes got this anger thats been built up
for years and years and years, because of not getting any kind of
inheritance.
MW: When you take on a starring role, as an actor you generally
want to have the audience sympathize with you. You want to have
them like you. But theres really no way to like Regina. What she
does is brutal.
HELGENBERGER: When we were still in rehearsals, I was freaked
29
out. I said, Everybodys going to hate me! and Kyle Donnelly,

the director, goes, You cant expect them to like you. Its not
that I really expected that, but it goes against everything about
me, because I cant imagine doing anything like that to anybody,
and just as an actor, you do kind of want to be liked.
A friend of mine came to the show the other night, and she
brought a friend of hers who I didnt know. Afterwards, first
thing out of her mouth upon meeting me, she goes, You were so
mean! You were just so mean! She couldnt believe how horrible I was. I was thrown back, I said, Yeah, shes a pretty cruel
person. She was kind of freaked out by it. But its unforgivable
what she does.
On the other hand, villains are kind of fun to play. Theyre
juicy parts, and people love to hate them. Shes also just got so
many other great qualities. Shes really funny, I think. Shes just
got amazingly sharp wit nothing gets by her. I dont think shes
as bad as her brothers, who have spent decades cheating people,
and treating people poorly, and being dishonest. I dont really
think shes dishonest. I think she actually is pretty honest.
MW: When we become used to seeing someone in a specific role on
television for so long, its hard to mentally break away from the
character. It must also be hard to break away from it as an actor.
HELGENBERGER: Thats the one downfall of being on a television
show that was as monster of a hit as CSI you can get typecast,
and people sort of see you in that role. I dont even blame the
public. Its Hollywood. Hollywood just wants to pigeonhole
you. I still get lots of offers of playing that kind of a character.
It was a great part, I had a good time doing it, and she had a lot
of sass and swagger and intelligence and all that, but Id rather
do something completely different. How about a comedy, you
know? Who doesnt like getting laughs?
MW: CSI was pretty amazing. Its the only procedural Id watch.
Though Ill be honest, I drifted away after Petersen left.
HELGENBERGER: I think the show lost quite a few viewers after
Billy left the show. There was no character on TV like that at
the time and Billy is a very interesting actor. He brought the
right amount of masculinity, quirkiness, intelligence, and sexiness to that particular character. But also, he left after god,
season 8, I think? Something like that. It was a long time he was
with the show. I was with it for close to 12 years. When we first
premiered, it was the only game in town. It was a show that was
based on forensic science, and illuminating what criminalists do,
and with all the CSI shots, and the flashbacks, it was just fresh
and unique.
MW: It spawned a lot of copycats.
HELGENBERGER: Dozens.
MW: The crime scenes were often so graphic and realistic. Did you
ever get grossed out on set?
HELGENBERGER: Yeah. It was our 100th episode, and it was
about a gender reassignment surgery gone wrong a male-tofemale corpse that was inside a storage unit. They were transitioning, and it was a botched job. Our prosthetic makeup people
had made up this bloody mess. We actually shot in a real storage
unit, of course, in the middle of the night. It was so graphic that
nobody could be in that room for longer than they could stand
it. It was so horrific. They had to shoot it in a very specific way,
too, because theres just no way it would have been aired on CBS
otherwise. I can recall it right now in my mind, just how nasty
it was. They did do a lot of things like that, they kind of pushed
the envelope.
MW: What is your take on the politics of the LGBT movement,
particularly with regard to same-sex marriage?
HELGENBERGER: [Laughs.] Im in the theater community, and
30
anybody who wouldnt be for gay marriage, I think, would be

thrown out, you know what I mean?
Every woman I know has a gay husband, or someone they
consider their gay husband, who is somebody they can talk to,
and just really unload on, and theyll hear them out.
MW: Do you have a gay husband?
HELGENBERGER: Yes, I do. I have two, actually. I have an East
Coast and a West Coast. I have a boyfriend, but he doesnt particularly like to do the kind of travel I like to do. So the gay husband
comes along, and hes my companion, and its great. Now they
have partners. One got married, and so I feel like my traveling
companions are abandoning me.
MW: Do you worry about the politics of this country, where its
headed right now?
HELGENBERGER: This is insanity, whats happening. Truly, every
day, Im just shocked. Ive been a supporter of Hillary Clintons
from back when she was the First Lady. I actually came with a
delegation of women from Hollywood for a rally that they had
here called Stand Up For Children, which was spearheaded by
her boss, mentor, Marian Wright Edelman, and it was specifically to raise awareness about the health bill that she was able to
pass for eight million children. Its just beyond my comprehension how anybody could support a racist misogynist moron like
Donald Trump. Its beyond my comprehension. I mean, hes a
bad guy, you know? Hes a really bad guy.
Look, obviously there is a faction of the country out there
that feel as if they have been left out, left behind, and he speaks
to them. I dont know exactly how hes really going to help
them that much, but he speaks to them. Theyll forgive him for
anything. It doesnt bother them that he went bankrupt several
times, that hes not paid taxes, that hes done a number of things.
Cheated people, not paid them. Theyll forgive him anything. Its
mystifying.
MW: Well, in the debate, when she said, You havent paid your
taxes, he went, That makes me smart, and then denied having
said that, despite the tangible proof.
HELGENBERGER: Thats what I mean. Theres something wrong
with him. Theres something wrong with him. I dont know what
a shrink would diagnose what he is, but hes not a normal person.
Theres something mentally wrong with him. Hes able to function hes obviously been a successful businessman, but some of
it has been by being dishonest and taking advantage of the laws
that hes taken advantage of, which is rigged. He keeps saying,
Oh, everythings rigged. Yeah, the systems rigged for corporations. They allow you all these deductions, and allow you to
get away with not paying your fair share. Hes vile. Hes just vile.
MW: Do you worry about what would happen to this country
should he win?
HELGENBERGER: Oh, my God. I honestly think it would be a really dark day in American history if he were to be elected. A really
dark day. In all honesty, I really dont think that theres enough
people to vote for him.
People say, It wont be any better with her, with her
being Hillary Clinton. They think itll be the same, and Im going,
Really? You really think somebody who wants to build a wall to
keep Mexicans out, who wants to have a ban on Muslims entering this country the list goes on and on is better or the
same as Hillary Clinton? Really? What are his policies? Does he
even have any? Dont get me started. l
The Little Foxes runs through Oct. 30 in Arenas Kreeger Theater,
1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $50 to $100. Call 202-488-3300 or visit
arenastage.org.
Jacked
Up
Scott Wallis wanted to open a mens underwear

store. Then he added shirts, belts, casual wear,
colognes, ties. The result is perhaps the most
appealing masculine boutique Washington has
ever seen. Welcome to Avenue Jack.
ROM STINTS IN THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE

and at two leading libertarian think tanks, to a
foray into the fun albeit profit-free world of podcasting, no chapter in the book of Scott Wallis
reads quite like the one that came before. The
story is a page-turner, much like one of the mystery novels he writes in his spare time, brought to
life through vivid, only-in-D.C. details.
A little over a year ago, Wallis embarked on his most ambitious adventure yet Avenue Jack, a mens casual retail shop
south of Dupont Circle, nestled between Luna Grill and a
Starbucks, steps away from the Metro.
Dale came up with the name, Wallis says, referring to business partner Dale Blades, with whom he co-hosted the gay comedy podcast Swish Edition for several years. We literally wrote
down dozens and dozens of names and Avenue Jack just seemed
to work. Retail wasnt an obvious career move for either man,
but in recent years, D.C. has seen a resurgence of independent
boutique retailers like Avenue Jack, particularly in trendy, revitalizing neighborhoods. I wanted to be on 14th Street, Wallis
says. All the stores like Shinola, Filson, Federal theres great
shopping over there. But the rents over there are ridiculous
32
Interview by Doug Rule

Photography by Todd Franson
over 100 dollars a square foot. We couldnt afford that.

For the moment, hes content with his Dupont Circle location. Were getting business people, were getting tourists, he
says. More and more, were getting locals. Wallis is drawing
people to the store by holding events. Powered by food and drink
provided by neighboring vendors, the store has hosted small
fundraisers for local organizations on a regular basis.
Boasting a dark copper tin ceiling and cedar walls to dark
brown-stained hardwood floors, Avenue Jack has a deep, masculine feel to it. Its comfortable, intimate. We were going for kind
of a cross between a gentlemans club and a mountain chalet,
Wallis says. I just wanted it to be a really warm antithesis of
what so many stores are now. You walk into H&M or Walmart
or Gap and theyre so bright white, with overhead lights. We
dont have one fluorescent light in here. Its as warm as possible.
Just like the soft-spoken 46-year-old himself, who is as forthcoming (and, this being Washington, politically outspoken) as he
is congenial and welcoming. Hes proud of his accomplishments,
and rightfully so. Retail isnt an easy mountain to scale, but
Wallis, who is the very embodiment of persistence and drive, is
determined to reach its peak and plant his flag.
For Scott Wallis, its most definitely a mans world.
33
METRO WEEKLY: Lets start with what brought you to D.C.

SCOTT WALLIS: I grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. Not too
far away at least two and a half hours, but with horrible
I-95 traffic, it can take a lot longer than that. I went to college
at Radford University in Southwest Virginia. While I was in
college I got the opportunity to work for then-Vice President
Dan Quayle. I took a semester off from school to come work
full-time in his office, in the Old Executive Office Building.
And I worked directly for his Director of Administration.
MW: Are you a Republican?
WALLIS: I was at the time, yeah. Im not anymore. Not since
immediately after college, when I went to work at the Cato
Institute, the libertarian think tank. Then I realized the error
of my ways and became an independent. I dont associate with
any party.
MW: When did you come out?
WALLIS: I dont know if I ever did. I think I just always was.
I started telling friends in high school. I dont think I talked
know him really well. I did a lot of family trips, I didnt do official trips. So I spent a lot of time with his kids. And whenever I
would take the kids out without the parents, hed want to talk
to me. So it would be just the two of us sitting around talking.
That was pretty cool. I dont know how many people get to just
sit and talk to the Vice President of the United States like that at
such an age.
MW: Did you ever bring a date to a White House function?
WALLIS: I certainly did not. But I wasnt even dating anyone at
that point, so it wasnt a problem. I went by myself or went with
other friends from the White House.
MW: I understand you also have a connection to the conservative
Koch brothers beyond their involvement at Cato.
WALLIS: I was the Creative Director at the Mercatus Center at
George Mason University for four years, which is another libertarian, free-market think tank co-founded by Charles Koch. I did
fundraising and event planning, all kinds of stuff. I was in charge
of the website. I a lso oversaw all publications. It was a big job.
Its hard to buy clothes for othe

stood that. I THINK PEOPLE SHO
about it when I worked at the White House. But certainly in
high school, my good friends knew. I didnt tell my parents
until after college because I was afraid they might cut off my
funding for college, but theyve been very cool about it. Theyre
super Republican. Voting for Trump. Very religious. But theyve
accepted me. Ive been with my partner now for 22 years and we
go on vacations together and they stay at our house and come to
all the holidays and stuff. So theyve been very supportive. We
dont talk about politics or religion though.
MW: What religion are they?
WALLIS: My moms a Christian Scientist.
MW: Who dont believe in medical science.
WALLIS: Thats right. And it was tough growing up that way.
Both my parents are pilots dad was a commercial pilot and
mom was a private pilot. So they only had so much leeway. As
a pilot you have to get a physical every six months to keep your
license. They had to go through the hoops. They had to, to be
able to fly. They did do that.
MW: Did you interact with the gay community while working for
Dan Quayle?
WALLIS: No. At that point Id never been to a gay bar. I had gay
friends and I had dated but Id never, ever been to a gay bar,
and I thought they were so scary. Even though JR.s was just up
the street, two blocks from where I was living, I wouldnt go,
because I was deathly afraid to go there. I dont know what I
thought was going to happen to me.
MW: Did homosexuality ever come up while you were working for
Quayle? Did you ever feel uncomfortable?
WALLIS: No, but Dan Quayle was amazing. I mean hes a lot more
conservative than I am, but hes a great, great guy. And I got to
34
MW: The Koch brothers arent strictly Libertarian anymore though.

WALLIS: Well, they were. David Koch was the Libertarian Party
vice presidential nominee at one point. But no, I think theyre

pretty aligned with the GOP now except I dont believe theyre
supporting Trump.
MW: How do you feel about Trump?
WALLIS: I think hes the antichrist. [Laughs.] Hes horrible, in
every possible way. Just the flat-out lies. Right after the debate,
the press said, You said youre smart because you didnt pay
any taxes and he said, I didnt say that. The whole world just
heard you say it, dumbass. Hes awful. We have to do everything
we can to make sure that man doesnt become president. And
[Libertarian Party presidential candidate] Gary Johnson, who I
did like up until recently, we need him to go away. What he did
on MSNBC you cant name one frigging world leader? Not
one? Thats inexcusable. If I was [running mate] William Weld,
Id drop out. Id walk away from Gary. They have no possibility
of winning, so they just need to go away.
MW: Do you like Hillary Clinton?
WALLIS: No, I cant stand her.
MW: So you wont be voting for her, then?
WALLIS: Does it matter who I vote for? I live in Washington, D.C.
My vote doesnt count. D.C. is going to vote for Hillary Clinton
by at least 85 percent, so it doesnt really matter who I vote for.
But I certainly wont be voting for Trump.
MW: What should we do to ensure that he doesnt get elected?
WALLIS: We have to convince people in Pennsylvania, Colorado,
Florida not to vote for him.
MW: Are you going to do anything?
WALLIS: Besides putting up articles about how horrible Trump is
on social media? No.

MW: Is there any hope of convincing your parents not to vote for
him?
WALLIS: No. Sometimes well start talking about certain things.
I mean I certainly agree with them on certain issues. I am fairly
conservative on fiscal issues. I dont think we need to be giving
everything to everyone for free, or guaranteeing everything to
everyone. I dont think the government needs to be a 100 percent safety net for every single citizen. Thats going to bankrupt
us someday. I mean Hillary getting up there and promising
everyone free college is such a joke. Its never going to happen.
Of course she likes to say it, over and over again. And if you do
give everyone free college, doesnt it just become 13th, 14th, 15th
and 16th grades? Does a college education really mean anything
if every single person in the country gets to go just like they do
up until the 12th grade? Thats one of my big things. Should it be
more affordable? Yes. And we should work on ways to do that,
but I dont think it should be free. Because it dumbs it down for
underwear. We put a business plan together for that. And after

going to trade shows, I thought, You know what, why dont we
add t-shirts? And then, Maybe we should add jeans. And what
about coats? Jackets? And then of course people are going to
need belts. Eventually, we got to, Lets not just be a gay underwear store, lets be a store for everybody. And then it became
this. And we ended up with two-thousand square feet. A casual
mens clothing store. No ties, no jackets, no blazers, no suits.
There are a million stores in D.C. that do that so were not even
going to try to touch that. We just wanted to be as mainstream as
possible. Preppy, casual, comfortable, moderately priced.
MW: Is that still the mission?
WALLIS: Well, now that Universal Gear is gone weve upped our
underwear game a little bit by adding C-IN2, and we have jockstraps now. I dont know if any straight guys have bought them,
but weve certainly sold them to gay guys.
MW: Whats been the biggest surprise since you opened?
WALLIS: Oh my gosh. Tons and tons of stuff. I didnt antici-
er people. Ive never quite underOULD BUY THEIR OWN CLOTHES.

everybody. When it becomes free and everyone can go, its not
special anymore.
MW: Do you miss being in politics?
WALLIS: No. And I dont miss working 9 to 5, either. I dont think
I could ever work in an office again. Its been twelve years since
Ive had a job where someone else is paying me.
MW: When did you get into fashion and retail?
WALLIS: About ten years ago my family started a baby clothes
manufacturing company House of Mongrel. We had a little
mongrel dog as the mascot. I did this with my sister and brotherin-law. We designed all the clothes, and we had them produced.
They were all organic, all made in America which were two of
our big mistakes. Being all made in America and being all organic
is very expensive, which kept us out of a lot of stores. We could
never get the big contracts that we really needed, like Target or
the mainstream chains. We did get into about 350 stores across
the country, which was really exciting, including some stores
here in D.C. After that project was over, thats when the concept
of opening our own store for guys came about.
The original concept was to open a super gay underwear
store. My partner Dennis and I were in London and we went
into this underwear store. And I absolutely fell in love with it.
The shopping in London is amazing. There are just so many cute
little independent stores. You definitely knew you were walking
into a gay store. And they had this great underwear, Bluebuck
underwear, which I fell in love with. I bought a pair and Im
like, You know what? We should go home and open a super gay
underwear store and give Universal Gear a run for the money,
because their stuff is so expensive.
So that was the idea to get a small space and just sell
pate that half of our customers would be women, buying stuff

for guys. Thats been eye-opening. We thought it would be all
guys, not knowing that women buy the majority of straight
guys stuff for them. We also didnt realize wed get as many
out-of-towners, tourists. I think thats probably because of
the neck of the woods that were in. Weve got the Mayflower
just a block down. Weve got the Dupont Circle Hotel. The
Washington Hilton sends people to us all the time when
business guys forget a tie or forget their belt or forget their
underwear. The concierges have been really great about that,
and weve definitely gone out of our way to make friends with
the concierges.
MW: Youre also reaching out to the community.
WALLIS: We do a lot of events here, running specials. Last week
we had a big party for SMYAL. And I dont think weve had more
people in the store it was really crowded. I couldnt make it
from the front door to the back.
MW: What keeps people coming back to Avenue Jack over other
stores?
WALLIS: We have a great loyalty program. For every dollar you
spend you get a point, and your points add up to free store
credits. So instead of giving our best customers 15 percent off
or something, theyre getting points, and then they can use that
store credit towards stuff that they want. We try to communicate
with them when we have new stuff that we think they might be
interested in.
MW: Such as?
WALLIS: Im really excited about Faherty, which is a kind of
surf-inspired brand. And Grayers, started by a former head
designer for Ralph Lauren. Just great classic preppy shirts and
35
ties and jackets. And we have Herschel and Timbuk2 bags.

MW: You also carry giftable, non-clothing items.
WALLIS: That wasnt even on our radar when we first opened, but
now we have a lot of it and we sell a lot of it. We have the D.C.
map glassware. We have the cocktailing stuff, like the carry-on
cocktail kit and the pineapple tumbler. Those things our D.C.
pillows, the neighborhood pillows with all the names on it, the
neighborhood coasters, the glass coasters theyre made right
here in the city. That stuff has done really, really well for us.
Again, mostly women buy that stuff. They come in here looking
for a gift for their boyfriend or husband or brother, and we try
to keep it within the DMV somewhere. Wed like to produce our

own clothes too. Right now we just have logo T-shirts. Weve got
some canvas bags and weve got some hats. But wed like to make
our own stuff. Eventually.
We feel really good. We keep growing. Its going to take some
more time before we have proof of concept, I guess. And hopefully thatll happen. Were coming now to the most important
part of the year, our strongest quarter by far. Last December
our first was the first month that we were in the black. We
expect that that will happen again, even more so this year now
that more people know that were here.
Does it matter who I vote for? I live

in Washington, D.C. My vote doesnt
count. BUT I CERTAINLY WONT BE
VOTING FOR TRUMP.
to steer them away from buying something that is going to be
returned. Like, if they buy him that medium sweater and hes
like an extra large or hates that color its hard to buy clothes
for other people. Ive never quite understood that. I think people
should buy their own clothes. But well sell them if you want
to buy it, well sell it to you. [Laughs.] But most likely, its coming
back. So thats why having the gifty stuff is great. I mean, they
can buy a SlideBelt, which fits anybody. They can buy the D.C.
glassware or grooming stuff or a tie. Soap or cologne.
MW: How do you decide on what cologne to carry?
WALLIS: They had to be stuff that youre not going to find in
every major department store. So the ones we have right now
are craft small-batch, made in Austin, Texas, called Moonshine,
Bluegrass. Its kind of a musky, earthy scent without being overpowering. Im not a cologne user or wearer, but my customers
like them and we sell a lot of it.
MW: How often are you here in the store?
WALLIS: Every day. Every day that Im in town. I have days off
but I inevitably end up in here anyway.
MW: You havent taken a vacation?
WALLIS: No, not as vacation. Ive gone on a couple trips. We go
to Vegas twice a year to buy for the store. We go to New York a
lot to go to showrooms and stuff. I recently went to Boston for
my cousins wedding. But these are things I have to do. I havent
done a real vacation yet.
MW: What are your plans for the future? A second location?
WALLIS: Thats the goal. I dont think we could ever make enough
money to make this worthwhile just having one store. If you look
at what David did with Universal Gear, I mean at one point he
had five or six stores. Lou Lou and South Man Under are both
local chains that started with one store. Ones never enough.
Youve got to have more. And if youre going to do all this work,
its actually not that much more work to do a second store.
Having other locations was part of the original business plan.
Of course I thought wed be working on store number two by
now. I dont think were quite ready for that. We definitely want
36
MW: Have you got any plans outside of Avenue Jack?

WALLIS: My personal goal ever since college has been to be a
published author. And my ultimate, ultimate goal is to publish a

book a year. Thats what Ive always wanted to do. I didnt realize it was so damn hard.
MW: The writing?
WALLIS: To get published. The writing is the easy part, and I
have a great editor that I work with that helps me polish stuff. I
tried for well over a decade and then decided just to publish my
own stuff. I finally have secured a book agent, so Im trying to
finish my current book and hopefully well be able to sell that to
a publisher. Im feverishly trying to finish the book but its not
easy while running the store. My goal is to finish it by the end
of the year.I have my fingers crossed that Ill actually be able to
sell something.
MW: Is it a mystery like your self-published book, Scouts Honor?
WALLIS: Yeah, dark humor mysteries, thats what I write.
MW: Are you a big mystery movie type of guy?
WALLIS: I watch a lot of TV, I dont watch as many movies. But
Im a humongous James Bond fan. Ive seen all the James Bond
movies like ten times each. My stuffs not spy-related, but I do
love that kind of thing. I dont know if youre familiar with Stuart
Woods he writes three books a year, and I read every single
one. I would love to be at a place where Im publishing three
books a year. And hes got his own airplane and four houses. He
does really well for himself.
I just want to sell one. I dont even care if anyone buys it. I just
want a publishing house to agree to publish a book. That would
be just absolutely thrilling for me. l
Avenue Jack is located at 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, and open
weekdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call
202-887-5225 or visit avenuejack.com.
Jacktoberfest, featuring store specials, autumn beers on tap and a
Halloween prize giveaway, is set for the last weekend in October.
Jacked for Fall Selections from Avenue Jacks fall collection photographed
Bucky
1 - Superdry Heritage Henley / $34

2 - Jachs New York Quilted Vest / $128
3 - Faherty Dou Sweatpants / $90
38
by Todd Franson and Julian Vankim (details and landscapes by Todd Franson)
Noah
4 - Jachs New York Woven Flannel Shirt / $89

5 - Jachs New York Rag Crew Sweater / $128
6 - Levis 510 Jeans / $68
39
Focused Space
Commander Backpack / $70
Jared
7 - Bread & Boxers Relaxed Crew Tee / $21

7 - Benson Woven Plaid Shirt / $118
8 - Levis 511 in Black / $68
40
10
11
Noah
9 - Ben Sherman Chambray Shirt / $79

9 - Ben Sherman Wool V-Neck Sweater / $104
10 - Grayers Gilbert Jacket / $164
11 - Levis 511 Chinos / $69
41
12
Blunt XS Metro Umbrella / $54
13
Bucky
Otto Cap Camo Cap / $18

12 - Superdry Half Zip Hoodie / $64
13 - Alternative Apparel Victory Short / $38
42
14
Banks Staple Beanie / $25
15
Jared
14 - Superdry Hooded Jacket / $94

C-IN2 Scrimmage Trunk / $26
15 - Alternative Apparel Fleece Pant / $47
43
Gallery
Tom Hill
Swimming Hole #3, 2015, Acrylic and glitter on masonite panel, 36 x 36 x 2

Tom has a piece in the United in Passion and Pride Exhibition at the 39th Street Gallery, Gateway Arts Center, 3901 Rhode Island Ave,
Brentwood MD 20722 (Closes Saturday, Oct 22) and a piece in LIfe Soundtrack Prince/Bowie & at the Joan Hisoaka Healing Arts Gallery,
1632 U STreet, WDC, 20009, (Closes Friday, Nov 4)
tomhillartist.com
45
C STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Stage
Personal
Reckonings
Arena Stage and Woolly Mammoth offer two very different types of
shows for the adults in the room By Kate Wingfield
TS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE KATHLEEN TURNER FROM HER INTERpretation of author Joan Didion in the dramatization of her book, The Year of Magical
Thinking (HHHHH). But in many ways, that is the point. To experience this nearly
two-hour monologue is to realize at once that it is not about an impersonation or the
cul-de-sac of a personal memoir, but rather it is the most serious conversation possible
with the adults in the room. If Turner and her majestic presence share Didions space
in this contemplation of coping (or not) in the aftermath of profound personal loss, it
simply serves to bring a brighter bulb to Didions deeply penetrating message: This
will happen to you. This is what it is like. You are in this.
If this sounds heavy, well, it is. But if it is deeply unsettling, it is also a chance to see
an intellect in the throes of the impossible grief of life and loss. She shows us the abyss,
but she also allows us the quiet catharsis in naming our greatest fears.
But if there are no big laughs here, even the direst moments are not far from
Didions elegant irony, wit, and dark sense of humor. And if you are curious about this
remarkable writer, the medium is strongly autobiographical with snatches of Didions
retro-glamorous life coming and going like gentle waves. Sometimes they soothe
or entertain, other times they arrive bearing illustration of one of her soul-piercing
46
Turner
points, always they build the picture of

her inner as well as outer life.
If Turner does not seem quite the
woman who made cozy fires against the
cold California nights, she does bring
Didions fight. With her commanding presence and gravelly poets voice,
Turner finds the rhythms and cycles in
this exploration, drawing out with clarity Didions home truths, her anger, her
struggle with unanswerable questions.
Whether as theatrical feat or in doing
spiritual justice to Didions book, it is
wholly, engagingly real.
IN THE PROGRAM NOTES of Guillermo
Calderons Kiss (HHHHH), Woolly
Mammoth comments that we are now so
bombarded with images and news of the
crisis in Syria, many of us have reached
saturation point. With saturation comes
stasis. If we are numb, we dont know how
to make ourselves feel. If we can still feel,
we dont know what to do about it. It is a
question not just for the current conflict
in Syria, but for all of the tragedies little
and large that assail us from our screens
by the day, the hour and the minute.
TERESA CASTRACANE
(L-R): Lelia TahaBurt, Shannon Dorsey, Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey, Tim Getman, Ahmad Kamal
So how do we re-set? How do we re-find our human

response? Throughout history, it has often been through art
that people have found or rediscovered connection. It might be
a photograph that troubles the heart, a painting that moves the
soul or a poem that touches the psyche.
It is in this spirit that Calderon uses the prism of theater
to turn Syria from ubiquitous headline into something more
urgent and human. If its architecture is what many would call
experimental, its presentation is highly accessible. He begins
in the guise of the kind of over-the-top melodrama popular in
Syria, it is stylized, charming and funny. But just when we are
beginning to wonder how its all going to end up, he changes the
lens and with it, the reality. After we have fully engaged with
this new perspective, he changes it again. Each transition comes
with its own disruption, not just of the theatrical fiction, but of
the entire concept. If we begin in the living room of two comically high-drama couples, we end at least by some reckoning
in the mind of a dying playwright caught in the bombing and
gassing of her city.
Its an ambitious progression and as laudable the intention, the question has to be, does it work? Its a qualified yes.
Staged in Woollys rehearsal space, there is a low-budget
vibe that does a fair number on our suspended disbelief. The
actors come and go from behind a hanging rug, the production staff sit visibly to the side and the stage crew occasional-
ly hand props to the performers.

Even assuming this is intended to add to the meta in this
production, it is a distraction. But perhaps the greatest problem
here comes with the transitions and each new reality. They
are challenging to pull off and they need powerful cohesion to
set and deliver in their new perspective. Director Yury Urnov
clearly aims for the right kind of energy but he allows for too
many awkward moments and too many lags in momentum. The
biggest example is a belabored scene in which the actors Skype
with a projection. The whole exercise borders on the tedious.
Still and despite its issues, the strong ensemble do much to
carry Calderons challenging piece, with Gabriela FernandezCoffey standing out for her Bana, a survivor of Syrias oppression. With her stoic gaze, liquid and knowing, she manages to
suggest both victim and victor. It is that paradox that finally
achieves Calderons goal. It is through Bana that this play finally
makes the touch.
Kiss runs through Nov. 6 at Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW.
Tickets are $20 to $94. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.
The Year of Magical Thinking runs through Nov. 20 in Arenas
Kogod Cradle, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $70 to $90. Call 202488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
47
Games
Real Deal
Sonys big gamble with virtual reality is a success, even if its stance
as the affordable option is a little misleading By Rhuaridh Marr
SONY
IRTUAL REALITY HAS LEFT THE NASCENT STAGE OF ITS DEVELopment and is finally ready for the big leagues. At least thats the bet Sony is
making with PlayStation VR (HHHHH), the gaming giants new headset. It
brings interactive, virtual, immersive worlds to the masses in a way few other implementations have achieved, but one big question hangs over Sonys VR gamble: is it any
good? The answer, after a week of use, is unequivocally yes. Whether its an essential
purchase is another matter entirely.
Lets start with the basics. For $399, Sony is promising full virtual reality. Thats
something of a misnomer, considering that PlayStation VR requires a PS4, PlayStation
Camera, and two of Sonys Move controllers theyre technically optional, but youre
missing out on a core part of the experience by not getting them. All in, youre looking
at around $560, which is a lot. But Sony has 40 million people out there who already
own a PlayStation 4, and even with the price of a console on top, PS VR is still significantly cheaper than the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, both of which require a powerful
PC or laptop in order to run their virtual worlds. Youll need at least $1,500 to get the
best experience out of those options, which swings affordability back in Sonys favor.
For that price, Sony has had to make some concessions. While the PS VR is lightweight and phenomenally comfortable for extended periods of gaming, it uses a single
5.7-inch 1080p OLED screen. That means a relatively low resolution image for each
eye, something anyone whos tried either the Rift or Vive will notice. In practice, however, its a relatively moot point. While you wont be blown away by any of the graphics
on offer with PS VRs first wave of games, you also wont spend your time picking out
each individual pixel and complaining about muddy textures or low resolution text.
Everything is crisp, clear, and beautifully

smooth.
Indeed, thats one of the biggest surprises about PS VR: how usable it is. Chances
are that if youre the sort of person who
struggles to watch 3D content or look at
screens close-up for any length of time you
wont like it, but for most others the PS
VR can easily be passed around between a
group of people. Adjusting the headset is
simple, as theres just one band that wraps
around your head, while the display hangs
below and moves forward and backward.
Getting setup takes thirty seconds at most
and everyone who tried my PS VR found
they were quickly able to get a clean image
to both eyes (the option to adjust for specific pupil distance is there, but Ive yet to
find a need for it).
What isnt so easy is actually setting up
everything outside of the headset. PS VR
runs through a separate box, which looks
a lot like a miniature PS4. No fewer than
six cables plug into this box, including
HDMI and USB connections to the PS4,
as well as two connections to the headset
itself (yes, this means your home entertainment setup will be ruined, and youll
lose one of the PS4s two front-facing USB
ports). However, the cable to the headset
is lengthy I was able to walk from one
49
PS4 dashboard will be stretched out in front of your face. From

there, youre into the most important part of the VR experience:
the games.
Unfortunately, at least at launch, whats on offer is a mixed
bag. For starters, all youll get in the box is a demo disc (remember those?) with a selection of short tasters. While theyre a fun
introduction to VR, covering racing games, shooting games,
puzzles, story-driven adventures and VR experiences, it would
have been nice for Sony to bundle at least one proper title with
the system. However, Sonys tech demo of sorts, The Playroom
VR, pops up on the PS4 dashboard when you first use PS VR,
and it offers one of the most engrossing experiences I had with
the headset in the form of Robot Rescue, a single-player title
(most of Playrooms games involve players using PS4 controllers
and watching the TV while another uses the headset). Here, the
player is a giant camera, following and controlling a little bot as
you maneuver him around a gloriously cute and Nintendo-esque
platformer. Its stunningly presented and feels wonderful to play
make it a full game please, Sony.
There are a couple of other free titles and demos available
on the PlayStation Store, but if you want the full VR experience,
youre going to have to start coughing up more money. Quite a
lot of it, actually. Unfortunately, Sony and its partners are pricing VR games almost at the same price as full games, despite
many of them offering a severely reduced amount of gameplay.
Batman: Arkham VR (HHHHH) is one of the standout launch
titles, putting players into Batmans suit (literally so, at the start
of the game), and playing through an investigation into Gothams
seedy underworld. Its immersive, beautifully crafted, and displays all of the style weve become accustomed to from developer Rocksteady, but for $20 it will last you an hour if you dont
dally. Driveclub VR is a standalone version of Sonys flagship PS4
racer (were still waiting for Gran Turismo to arrive), but for $40
youre not getting the same experience as the full-fat game. Sure,
driving games are one of the best examples of VRs usability, let50
ting you look around the cabin and out across the racetrack, but
the graphics highlight the lower resolution of PS VRs display in
a way other games for the system dont even though the framerate is impressively smooth. Looking for the next apex is made
harder when youre struggling to discern objects in the distance.
Rigs Mechanized Combat League is a first-person online shooter
where players take control of sophisticated fighting robots in a
gladiatorial-style deathmatch and one of the PS VRs biggest and
most active launch titles but youll pay $50 for the privilege.
Again, the PS VRs starting price of $399 starts to look a little
deceptive.
But if you can overlook the price and the lower graphics
quality of certain titles, when the PS VR gets it right it does so
in spectacular fashion. As mentioned, the Move
controllers are an absolute must. Sure, they can be
a bit finicky and you cant fully turn around as they
require the PlayStation Camera to see their glowing
ends, but they offer true one-to-one movement in
games and are the best way to truly feel like youre
in another world. Its something exemplified by Job
Simulator (HHHHH), a downloadable title ported
over from PC, which drops players into a futuristic
museum where people pay to experience mundane
jobs from the age of humanity, such as office clerk,
auto mechanic, and cashier at a grocers (apologies
to everyone whose job I just insulted). Its bursting
with humor and charm, but its also phenomenally
immersive. Sony recommends playing games for
an hour and then taking a break, but I lost an entire evening to
just one of Job Simulators fake scenarios. Its exactly the sort
of game that sounds awful when describing it to someone, but
blows their mind when you hand them the headset and a pair of
Move controllers. Watching people lose themselves in its world
as they throw staplers, fry steaks, tweak engines and more is
proof enough that Sonys experiment with VR has worked.
The question remains as to whether PS VR is a must buy.
For those interested in testing virtual reality, there are much
cheaper ways to do so, such as Samsungs Gear VR or Googles
Cardboard/Daydream VR initiative. But if you own a PS4 and
have the money to spend on the headset, two controllers and a
camera (plus a couple of games), its absolutely worth doing. As
developers learn to get the most out of the system, I cant wait to
see what experiences are dreamt up and if Job Simulator is any
proof, we can expect to see some of the amazing VR experiences
on PC make their way to Sonys console. The average consumer
will have to decide whether they make their purchase on PS
VRs potential over the actual experiences available right now,
but make no mistake that whats there is pretty spectacular, for
the most part.
Many are speculating as to whether virtual reality will eventually follow 3D into the annals of gaming history, a short flash
in the pan that will ultimately be ignored. But Im not so sure.
After just a week, Im hooked on what Sony is selling. I want to
put Batmans mask back on, I want to jump back into my office
cubicle, I want to work my way through more immersive adventures. PS VR is by no means a perfect virtual reality experience,
but its one obtainable by more people than either of its PC-based
rivals and that, ultimately, could be the reason enough for it
to succeed. l
PS VR is available now for $399 from Amazon and other online
and big box retailers. Two Move controllers are $99, while
PlayStation Camera is $59.
SONY
side of my large living room to the other without putting any

tension on the wires so freedom of movement is only limited
by the relatively narrow field of view of the PlayStation camera.
Once youre all plugged in, the PS4 will ask you to put the headset on and walk you through calibration. All-in-all, its about five
minutes before youre good to go.
Its not the simplest of setups, but once youre finished it
removes one of the biggest hurdles to VR: ease of use. Leave
the headset and its processing box plugged in and you can just
pick up and play whenever you like. Pressing a button on the
headset cable turns it on and once you put the headset on (it
detects whether or not youre wearing it, which is a nice touch
if you need to quickly remove it in the middle of a game) the
NightLife
Photography by
Ward Morrison
51
Scene
DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday,
October 20
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4
Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm $3
Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull and
Frozen Virgin Drinks
Locker Room Thursday
Nights DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Best
Package Contest at midnight, hosted by BaNaka &
Kristina Kelly $200 Cash
Prize Doors open 10pm,
21+ $5 Cover or free

with college ID
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm $2
off everything DJ Theo
Storm spinning in the main
bar, 9pm-1am No Cover
21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk
JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Flashback:
LURE DCs Ladies Night at Cobalt - Saturday, October 15
Music videos from 19752005 with DJ Jason Royce,

8pm-12am
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 Rails and House Wines
& Half-Priced Pizzas
$4 Heineken and Corona
all night Football Food
Specials, 7-11pm
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail,
$5 Appetizers Extended
Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with
only $1 increase in price
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+
Friday,
October 21
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident DJ
Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &

Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks all
night DJ MadScience
upstairs DJ Keenan Orr
downstairs $10 cover
10pm-1am, $5 after 1am
21+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm
$2 off everything
Spartan MC on Club Bar,
9am-2am Come meet
DCs Leather Bikers
Sequence in the Annex,
10pm-7am Howard
Homecoming in the Exile,
hosted by Daryl Wilson,
10:30pm-4am 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
$5 Smirnoff, all flavors,
all night long Friday

Night Videos by VJ Tree,
9pm-2am Featuring the
Boys of HUMP
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat the Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover Friday Night
Piano with Chris, 7:30pm
Friday Night Videos with
Chord, 9:30pm
SHAWS TAVERN
& Half-Priced Pizzas
Magic! 8-10pm
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
53

TOWN
Patio open 6pm DC Bear
Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm
$3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud
Bottles Free Pizza, 7pm
No cover before 9:30pm
21+ Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Riley Knoxx and
BaNaka GAGArama,
11pm Lady Gaga
Joanne Album Release
Party % DJ Wess upstairs,
DJs BacK2bACk downstairs following the show
GoGo Boys after 11pm
Doors open at 10pm
For those 21 and over, $12
For those 18-20, $15
Club: 18+ Patio: 21+
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
normally served in a
cocktail glass served in a
huge glass for the same
price, 5-10pm Beer and
wine only $4 DJ Jeff
Prior, 10pm
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
54
hosted by LaTroya Nicole,

9pm Dance floors open
9pm Ladies of Ziegfelds
Drag Show, 11:30pm and
1:30am Rotating Hosts
DJ Don T. in Secrets
Cover 21+
Saturday,
October 22
9 1/2
drink, 3-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite
after 9pm Expanded craft
beer selection No Cover
various DJs
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch at
Level One, 11am-2pm and
2-4pm Featuring Kristina
Kelly and the Ladies of
Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody
Marys Happy Hour:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud
Light, 4-9pm Latin Night
Halloween Party, 10pm
Doors open 10pm $5
Cover 21+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm
$2 off everything
Chocolate Covered Rocky
Horror Picture Show in the
Exile $20 Advance, $30
Door, $350 VIP seating
with Top Shelf open bar
(parties of 5) 21+
SHAWS TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm Happy Hour,
5-7pm $3 Miller Lite, $4
Blue Moon, $5 Rails and
House Wines & Half-Priced
Pizzas
Riley Knoxx and BaNaka

DJ Wess upstairs, DJs
BacK2bACk downstairs
following the show
GoGo Boys after 11pm
Doors open 10pm $12
Cover 21+
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: Tops Down $6
Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3
Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm
Homowood Karaoke,
hosted by Robert Bise,
10pm-close 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies
Broadway Babes Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm,
hosted by Miss Destiny B.
Childs No Cover
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR

& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
only $4
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 12pm
off everything Sunday
BBQ, hosted by SigMa,
3-7pm No Cover 21+
TOWN
Patio open 2pm Town
& Country: Two-Step, Line
Dancing, Waltz and West
Coast Swing Hosted
by the DC Rawhides
$5 Cover to stay all night
Doors open 6:30pm,
Lessons 7-8pm, Open
dance 8-10:50pm
CTRL: Blackout, 11pm
Featuring DJs Adam
Koussari-Amin, Devon
Trotter and Jeff Prior
Music and video by DJ
Wess downstairs Katya
from RuPauls All Stars
appears in the Drag Show
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee,
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host Ella
Fitzgerald Doors at 9 pm,
first show at 11:30 pm
DJs Doors open 9pm
Cover 21+
GREEN LANTERN
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long JOX: The
GL Underwear Party,
9pm-close Featuring DJ
David Merrill $5 Cover
(includes clothes check)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 2pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
3-9pm $5 Absolut and $5
Bulleit Bourbon
Sunday,
October 23
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Champagne Brunch
Buffet, 10am-3pm Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Karaoke,
8pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke downstairs,
9:30pm-close
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights and
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all day
and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,

11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15

only $4
NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 3-9pm No
Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
9pm Cover 21+
SHAWS TAVERN
Magical Brunch with
Danny Dubin and
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm Happy Hour,
5-7pm $3 Miller Lite, $4
Blue Moon, $5 Rails and
House Wines & Half-Priced
Pizzas
Monday,
October 24
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR

& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm Cornhole,
Giant Jenga, and Flip-cup
inside Town
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Twisted Disney Alice in
Zombieland, 10pm Doors
open at 10pm $3 Skyy
Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red
Bull $8 Long Islands
No Cover, 18+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
off everything Endless
Happy Hour prices to anyone in a DC Eagle T-Shirt
55
Free Ballin Mondays: Free

Pool All Night and Day
$1 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts all night No
Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Singles Night Karaoke,
8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long
Open Mic Night Karaoke,
9:30pm-close
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ James $3 Draft Pints,
8pm-midnight
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards
NUMBER NINE
SHAWS TAVERN
and Half-Priced Pizzas
56
Trivia with Jeremy, 7:30pm

SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
Tuesday,
October 25
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
DJ Honey Happy Hour:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3
Bud Light, 4-9pm High
Heel Race Official After
Party: Twisted Cinderella &

Spiked Heels, 9pm-close
$1 Rail Drinks all night
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
After 9pm, $3 Absolut,
Bulleit & Stella
SHAWS TAVERN
Half Priced Burgers &
Pizzas, 5pm-close $5
House Wines & Sam
Adams Drafts, 5pm-close
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
Wednesday,
October 26
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Twisted Land of Oz
Dorothy & the Angry Inch,
10pm $4 Stoli and Stoli
Flavors and Miller Lite all
night No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
tail glass served in a huge

only $4
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm
and 9pm Prizes include
bar tabs and tickets to
shows at the 9:30 Club
$15 Buckets of Beer for
SmartAss Teams only
Bring a new team member
and each get a free $10
Dinner
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don
T. in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
NUMBER NINE
Thursday,
October 27
SHAWS TAVERN
and Half-Priced Pizzas
Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
DJ Wess
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR

& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
normally served in a cock-
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: Tops Down
$6 Top Shelf, Bottoms
Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light,
4-9pm $3 Rail Drinks,
10pm-midnight, $5 Red
Bull and Frozen Virgin
Drinks Twisted Thursday:
The Little Merman, 10pm
DJs Sean Morris and
MadScience Best Body
57
Contest at midnight, hosted

by BaNaka & Kristina Kelly
$500 Cash Prize Doors
open 10pm, 21+ $5 Cover
or free with college ID
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm Happy
Hour, 8-10pm $2 off
everything Highwaymen
TNT host the Club Bar
and Annual Pumpkin
Sacrifice adn Ritual Carving,
9pm-1am DJ Theo Storm
spinning in the main bar,
9pm-1am No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm Ladies
Drink Free Power Hour,
4-5pm Shirtless Thursday,
10-11pm DJs BacK2bACk
JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Flashback:
Music videos from 19752005 with DJ Jason Royce,
8pm-12am
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
58
NUMBER NINE
SHAWS TAVERN
& Half-Priced Pizzas $4
Corona and $4 Heineken all
night Paint Night, Second
Floor, 7pm Football Food
Specials, 7-11pm
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+ l
59
Scene
60
Green Lantern - Thursday, October 13

61
LastWord.
People say the queerest things
By the logic of gay liberation,

Thiel is an example of a man who has sex with
other men, but not a gay man,
because he does not embrace the struggle of people to embrace their distinctive identity.
JIM DOWNS, professor of history at Connecticut College, in an op-ed in The Advocate making the case why billionaire PayPal
founder Peter Thiel should not be considered gay. The op-ed appeared after Thiel announced he would be donating
$1.25 million to Donald Trumps presidential campaign, both directly and through super PACs.
At some point I realized that people dont change,

you cant convert from gay to straight.
JASON THOMAS, who had his membership in Watermark, an evangelical church in Dallas, revoked after it was revealed hes
gay and in a relationship. Watermarks letter excommunicating him went viral after Thomas posted it to Facebook.
For me,
Will being gay or not is besides the point.
Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been
bullied in some way or are different.
12-year-old Stranger Things actor NOAH SCHNAPP, who posted a screenshot of a Twitter conversation between two users debating
his characters sexuality. A good book or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think, Schnapp wrote.
So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out!
of my life. I currently got legally married thank God

I am gay. Ive had two boyfriendsitsmost
finally legal in America.
Ive had some kinky sex. Ive tried drugs through
the younger years of my life. Im broke as shit.
Independent presidential candidate JOE EXOTIC, a.k.a. Joseph Maldonado, a gay Oklahoma zookeeper, in a 2015 video outlining
why he was running for president. Exotics video was featured on a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment
that lampooned third-party presidential candidates.
High school students do not have

a constitutional right
not to share restrooms or locker rooms with transgender students whose sex assigned at birth
is different than theirs.
Federal Magistrate Judge JEFFREY GILBERT, writing in an 82-page report recommending that U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso
reject a preliminary injunction being sought by a group of parents from Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211.
The group wishes to obtain the injunction in order to stop a district policy allowing a transgender female student
to use the girls locker room.
62

Metro Weekly - 10-20-16 - Scott Wallis and The Fall Fashion

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Metro Weekly - 10-20-16 - Scott Wallis and The Fall Fashion

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CONTENTS

OCTOBER 20, 2016

Massachusetts conservatives want to repeal transgender

Marg Helgenberger on playing one of theaters legendary

Scott Wallis wanted to open a mens underwear store.

2016 Jansi LLC.

OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY

18TH WASHINGTON JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

Moa, with Mira Awad

HE HORA IS KLEZMER. AND FOR A LOT OF

Thomas Andersons 2015 India-set documentary Junjun,

After winning RuPauls Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio

RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL

Creative Cauldron, Virginias emerging theater company,

In 2014 Tony-winning star Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Into

OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY

After mastering her craft playing fiddle with the

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

In a co-production with the Dutch National

and projection design by Daniel Brodie. Remaining performances Thursday, Oct.

At the heart of Foxs popular drama Empire is the force-of-nature Cookie

OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY

Out On The Town

Compiled by Doug Rule

If you like Tyler Perry and his

Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt

the American Northwest. Kristen

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher

nage. Its Mr. & Mrs. Smith from

MIDDLEBURG FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its fourth year in a picturesque town in Virginias horse and

brought down anti-miscegenation

OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY

NOIR CITY DC: THE PICTURE OF

The American Film Institute offers

THE ROCKY HORROR

Landmarks E Street Cinema celebrates Halloweekend by offering

WITHIN OUR GATES

To commemorate the recent release

is the overall quality of the staging at Round House, in partnership

OCTOBER 20, 2016 METROWEEKLY

SENSE & SENSIBILITY

The perfect antidote to the deluge of

There is something deliciously

Disney partners with Signature

Staceyann Chins personal journey

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE

Based on Mark Haddons best-selling

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

Olney offers an intimate staging of

Gustavo Ott directs Cornelia Codys

BELA FLECK & ABIGAIL

Washington Performing Arts presents the legendary banjo virtuoso,

D.C.s own eight-piece Balkan and

All aboard the Midnight Train to

HILARY HAHN, ROBERT LEVIN

As part of its 50th Anniversary

COURTESY MASON BATES

Mason Bates kicks off the KC Jukebox season with

HENS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD CLASSICAL MUSIC IN A CLUB-LIKE

$95. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

A record three-time winner of BBC